'Musharraf's J&K proposals not acceptable as whole'

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's four-point formula to resolve the Kashmir issue is 'not acceptable' to Hurriyat 'as a whole' although it provides a foundation for settlement of the problem, amalgam leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq has said.

"We are not accepting the four-point formula as a whole," the visiting Hurriyat leader said during an interaction with Pakistan's Minister for Kashmir Affairs Tahir Iqbal in Islamabad on Monday.

Musharraf's proposals of demilitarisation, self governance and joint management could provide a foundation for the resolution of the Kashmir issue after appropriate amendments, he said.

"Yes, we are moving ahead with the proposals floated by Musharraf as they have pressured the Indian government, army and the opposition to step ahead," he said.

"Pakistan's bold stance has impressed the international community and the whole world is now looking towards India. But President Musharraf's proposals are not final and can be improved," he was quoted as saying in the media.

The Mirwaiz again stressed the importance of the political process to resolve the Kashmir issue.

"Military action is no solution to the Kashmir issue. This is a political issue and an opportunity should be provided to resolve this issue through a political process," he said.

Elaborating on his comments that militancy has not succeeded to resolve Kashmir issue, the Mirwaiz said he had never said militancy should end, but thought it was time to support the political process.

Farooq said efforts of India and Pakistan could only succeed if various Kashmiri groups unite and discuss the issue.

"Musharraf's proposals have forced India to come to the dialogue table. Many ways were adopted to resolve the Kashmir issue, but they did not yield results. A new path has now been chosen. It is the path of peace," he said.

He dispelled as impression that he was in Pakistan with a secret formula to solve Kashmir issue.

The amalgam had often been accused of following whatever was said by Musharraf, but the 'truth was that they supported whatever they felt was practicable and positive as the intention was to break the status quo,' he said, adding that the two working groups on Kashmir would meet after every two months.

The Hurriyat leader said the leadership from both parts of the divided Kashmir had agreed on setting up working groups to enhance mutual interaction as part of intra-Kashmir dialogue aimed at contributing towards resolution of the issue.

He urged Pakistan and India to support the intra-Kashmir dialogue as it could bring divided Kashmiri families closer to each other.