— PHOTO: PTI

DISCUSSING ISSUES: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf with Hurriyat leaders (from left) Bilal Ghani Lone of the People's Conference, Abdul Ghani Bhatt and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference from Jammu and Kashmir, in Islamabad on Thursday. — PHOTO: PTI

ISLAMABAD: All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Mirwaiz Omar Farooq said here on Friday that any solution within the framework of the Indian Constitution on Kashmir, including the proposal on "self-governance," would not be acceptable to the conglomerate.

Addressing a news conference here at the conclusion of their visit to Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), to share the grief of the October 8 earthquake-affected people, the Mirwaiz said self-governance should not be confused with autonomy.

In the course of their stay here, the delegation consisting of the Mirwaiz, Abdul Ghani Butt and Bilal Lone called on Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and several other leaders and discussed the status of the India-Pakistan dialogue and the relief and rehabilitation measures in the quake-hit areas.

No media attention

Unlike their fortnight-long June visit, the current one has not attracted much attention either in the Pakistani media or civil society. Gen. Musharraf told the delegation on Thursday that India would respond positively to the proposals on self-governance and de-militarisation of Kashmir on both sides.

The focus of the press conference by the delegation was on the two subjects especially on their reading of the proposals and what they actually entailed in terms of resolution of the Kashmir issue.

Mr. Farooq said there was no difference in the understanding and approaches of his faction of the Hurriyat and the Pakistan Government on the Kashmir issue as well as the twin ideas pertaining to self-governance and de-militarisation.

He said the Indian Government invited his faction for talks for the first time on the clear understanding that the dialogue would be outside the framework of the Indian Constitution.

It is believed the issue figured in the course of their interaction with Gen. Musharraf and he told them that independence and accession of Kashmir to Pakistan could not happen.

According to one member of the delegation, Gen. Musharraf told them that the violence in Kashmir and other parts of India by jehadis was despite the efforts and measures by his government. The Pakistan President reportedly said that he would need a "certain space" from India to "fix the freelance jehadis."

In response to a question on basis of his optimism in the face of Indian inflexibility, Mr. Farooq said: "I do not agree that India is inflexible. India is talking to the Hurriyat as a party, and not within the framework of the Indian Constitution. We are not talking to India on the issue of participation in elections. For us, it is not an issue of replacing Mufti Sayeeds. We are essentially looking at new possibilities. To expect India to demonstrate complete change of stance in the first phase of talks is impractical".

Answering another question he said demilitarisation and self-governance were important confidence-building measures (CBMs) which could pave the way towards resolution of the issue and were not, in themselves, solutions to Kashmir.

Asked to elaborate on the Hurriyat's understanding of self-governance Mr. Farooq said: "The Kashmiris must be masters of their own fate. Self-rule and autonomy are two different things. Autonomy is within the framework of the Indian Constitution. Self-rule is not. On January 15, a delegation of the Hurriyat will be in Jammu to discuss these ideas with various segments of the society there".

He said the ultimate goal of the Hurriyat is to convert the triangular dialogue into a trilateral dialogue process where India, Pakistan and Kashmiris will discuss on the same table. Mr. Farooq lauded the Pakistan stance on Kashmir and said it was winning laurels all over the world. "Now the whole world is asking India to show flexibility. Pakistan credibility is much higher in the International community because of its diplomatic stance on Kashmir," he said.

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