Call to follow N.Ireland deal to solve Kashmir dispute
INDIA: A key Kashmiri separatist said on Wednesday that he
hoped India and Pakistan would learn from the Northern Ireland
power-sharing deal.
Protestant leader Ian Paisley, Northern Ireland’s new First Minister,
said there was a real chance for “lasting peace” as he took office with
Catholic former terrorist Martin McGuinness as his deputy on Tuesday.
“We congratulate the two warring sides for choosing reconciliation
over confrontation,” Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told AFP.
Farroq said he has sent his congratulations to the leaders in
Belfast. “The pact offers a big hope to the people in other conflict
zones, including Kashmir,” said Farooq, who heads a moderate faction of
the region’s main separatist alliance, the Hurriyat Conference.
Farooq has been opposed to hardliners who want to join Indian-held
Kashmir with Pakistan and has pushed instead for a negotiated settlement
leading to independence.
“I think India and Pakistan should take a cue from the recent pact
and try to move fast towards resolving the dispute over Kashmir,” said
Farooq.
India and Pakistan each hold Kashmir in part but claim it in full. A
revolt against New Delhi’s rule since 1989 has claimed over 42,000 lives
by official count.
Srinagar, Thursday, AFP |