KNZ NEWS DESK
Srinagar: Pakistan on Tuesday termed the Indian announcement to initiate a dialogue to “understand legitimate aspirations” of people of Jammu and Kashmir as an “insincere” and “unrealistic” measure because “any meaningful dialogue must include three parties to the conflict i.e. Pakistan, Kashmiris and India”.
The remarks came in following the naming of a former Indian intelligence chief as its special representative to initiate and carry forward a dialogue.
Responding to a question regarding India’s announcement designating Dineshwar Sharma, a former Indian intelligence officer, as the central representative to initiate “interaction and dialogue to understand legitimate aspirations of people in Jammu and Kashmir”, the Pak Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria stated that the measure did not appear to be sincere and realistic.
“For any dialogue process to be meaningful and result-oriented, it has to include the three main parties – Pakistan, Kashmiris and India,” Nafees was quoted by Pak media as saying.
He said that without the participation of the Hurriyat leadership, no interaction or dialogue would carry any weight or meaning. He further added that the designated interlocutor had been entrusted with the task of understanding the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiri people i.e. realisation of their right to self-determination – which in reality had been known for 70 years.
