ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf Monday reiterated Islamabad’s diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris to get their right to self-determination from India, when he met visiting Hurriyat Conference leaders.
A seven-member delegation from the moderate faction, led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, arrived in Lahore Saturday for talks on the Kashmir issue and for a visit to Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Talking to Hurriyat leaders here at the PM House, Ashraf said Pakistan desires resolution of the issue according to the United Nations resolutions and aspiration of its people.
He termed interaction with the Hurriyat Conference a positive sign and said there was consensus among all political parties in Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.
In this regard he alluded to the appointment of veteran political leaders late Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan and Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman as Chairmen of the Kashmir Committee.
The Prime Minister said Pakistan takes pride in the indigenous struggle waged by the people of Kashmir for their right of self determination.
We praise the political acumen and wisdom of the Hurriyat leadership to highlight the cause of the people of Kashmir, he said.
Mirwaiz thanked the Pakistani premier and said the people of Kashmir “value the unconditional support of the government and the people of Pakistan”. Foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira were present during the meeting.
The Hurriyat delegation is visiting at the invitation of the Pakistan government to discuss ways to push forward efforts to resolve the Kashmir dispute. On Saturday, the delegation met leaders in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Other members of the delegation include Maulana Abbas Ansari, Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal Ghani Lone, Agha Syed Hasan Al-Moosvi and Mussadiq Adil.
Earlier upon his arrival in Pakistan, Mirwaiz described the Kashmir issue as a “trilateral” matter and not a “bilateral dispute” between India and Pakistan.
Talking to reporters, he said: “The Kashmir dispute requires the attention of the international community (at a time) when other international disputes are progressing towards solution.”
The purpose of the delegation’s visit is to add momentum to efforts for the settlement of the Kashmir dispute, Mirwaiz said.
The Hurriyat delegation also met the President of the PML (Q) Choudhary Shujaat Hussain on Monday evening.
Hussain welcomed the Hurriyat delegation and called their visit a good omen for the future of Kashmir-Pakistan relations.
The Hurriyat delegation, according to sources, sought support of the party for strengthening the voice of Kashmiris for inclusion of genuine Kashmiri leadership in the negotiations. Agencies
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