DAWN.COM

Today's Paper | December 20, 2024

Published 16 Dec, 2012 12:49pm

Indian Kashmiri separatist demands opening of border

MUZAFFARABAD: A separatist leader from Indian administered Kashmir urged rivals India and Pakistan Sunday fully to open the border in the disputed Himalayan region to let the peace process move forward.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the current limited opening of the Line of Control, the de facto frontier in Kashmir, was not enough.

Farooq, a leader of the moderate Hurriyat Conference, is leading a seven-member delegation to Pakistan following an invitation from Islamabad.

He arrived in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani administered Kashmir, on Sunday for a two-day visit and will go on to Islamabad.

“Limited movement of people and goods is not enough, it should be opened for Kashmiris so that they can move across freely to boost the peace process,” Farooq told reporters.

He also said Kashmiris should be included in the peace process as it was not a dispute between just India and Pakistan.

“No solution without the involvement of Kashmiris will be acceptable to us as we are an important party in the Kashmir dispute.”

Read Comments

Geopolitical games Next Story