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APHC fails to sell ‘solution’ to Aziz
M.L. Kak

Jammu, November 28
The APHC leadership could not “sell” its solution to the Kashmir issue to Pakistan Prime Minister, Mr Shoukat Aziz, when the leaders of the conglomerate met him in Delhi recently.

The reason — the APHC leaders want to dish out their plan for the resolution of the Kashmir issue “simultaneously” to Islamabad and Delhi.

A former chairman of the APHC, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, told this correspondent today that “the solution is in my mind but I did not want to apprise only the Pakistan side about it.”

He said: “Whatever solution we have in our mind need to be conveyed to Delhi and Islamabad simultaneously because both India and Pakistan are a party to the dispute.”

To a question as how the settlement formula can be conveyed to Islamabad and Delhi simultaneously, he said: “We plan to divide the APHC leaders in two groups, one will visit Pakistan and the other could fly to Delhi for briefing the two governments about it on the same day.”

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In reply to another question he said “by suggesting to the government of India that a team of APHC leaders be allowed to visit Pakistan and Azad Kashmir we are not imposing any precondition to the acceptance of an offer for talks by New Delhi.”

“Visiting Pakistan and Azad Kashmir is a requirement. We want to meet peoples’ representatives in Azad Kashmir because the future of our people living on either side of the LoC is at stake.”

While commenting on Foreign Minister Natwar Singh’s recent remarks that the Hurriyat leaders alone were not representative of the people of Kashmir, Prof Bhat said: “The minister does not seem to understand the realities in Kashmir. We represent the aspirations of people of the state.” He added: “We all separatist groups represent the sentiments of people of Kashmir.”

He said they might had different ideologies and approach but they represent the people.

The APHC leader refused to divulge the contents of the formula he had prepared for resolving the Kashmir issue. However, it was clear that his solution did not include either the restoration of greater autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir or conversion of the LoC into a permanent border.”

His solution seem to be nearer to the one suggested by General Parvez Musharraf.He even hinted that “what Genernal Musharraf proposed bears a striking similarity with our solution.”

Indications are that the Hurriyat solution is nearer to those who support independence for the state and the state being placed under the joint control of Pakistan so that its defence, financial and communication sectors were protected by Delhi and Islamabad.