ISLAMABAD: A two-day seminar on the Pakistan-India Civil Society Review of Strategic Relations emphasised that the people of Kashmir should be equal stakeholders in any peace process and dialogue between the two countries.
Recommendations formulated at the end of the conference in New Delhi stated that the civil societies of Pakistan and India should set up study groups to conduct a comprehensive analysis of problems regarding the sharing of water in the Indus Basin and identify potential sources of conflict, Kashmir Media Service reported. Developing a regional framework for the sharing of water in the entire SAARC region was also recommended.
Speaking at the concluding session, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Prakash Karat called upon the Indian government to find a solution to the Kashmir issue by talking to both the Pakistan government and the Kashmiri people. The composite dialogue between India and Pakistan should continue and be broadened further, he stressed.
Senior leader of Pakistan Peoples Party and lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan said that Pak-India ties could only be improved by a spirit of positive reciprocity.
Independent member of the so-called Kashmir Assembly, Engineer Rashid, appreciated the forward movement in Pak-India relations. Referring to the efforts made to resolve the Kashmir problem, he said that no formula had worked to date because all efforts were bilateral.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 2nd, 2012.
COMMENTS (1)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Freedom should have an equal say. Independent Kashmir is the way