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Former chief minister of Indian-controlled Kashmir says gun no solution to resolve Kashmir

Xinhua, March 27, 2015 Adjust font size:

Former chief minister of Indian-controlled Kashmir Omar Abdullah Thursday said gun was no solution to resolve Kashmir issue and dialogue was the only way forward.

"We have repeatedly said that gun is no solution to solve Kashmir issue," Abdullah told reporters outside the lawmaking body of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

He said attempts to resolve Kashmir through gun have been made in the past but they have all failed.

The region's lawmaking body is currently in session.

Abdullah's remarks came in response to the governing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stand that talks with Islamabad and stakeholders like Hurriyat (freedom) Conference forms key to resolve Kashmir issue.

"Please come out with my speeches of last six years. Whether it is the chief minister's internal security conference, Unified Command meetings, 15 August (India's independence day) speeches, I have repeatedly reiterated that there is no other alternative other than the talks to resolve the issue," Abdullah said.

New Delhi Monday said there was no place for a third party involvement in resolving issues pertaining to India and Pakistan.

Ruling out involvement of Hurriyat Conference in talks with Islamabad, India's External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Sayed Akbaruddin told media there should be no scope for misunderstanding or misrepresenting India's position on the role of Hurriyat.

Last year New Delhi called off foreign secretary-level talks with Islamabad citing reservation over Pakistan's engagement with Kashmiri separatists ahead of the talks.

The impasse ended with the visit of Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyan Jaishankar to Islamabad earlier this month.

A separatist movement and guerrilla war challenging New Delhi's rule is going on in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989.

Gunfight between militants and Indian troopers takes place intermittently in the restive region.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir. Endi