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| As General bleeds, Mirwaiz says no solution without Army | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | June 7
Soon after a retired Pakistani General made remarks Kargil bleeding heart of President Pervez Musharraf, the Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq added more to it by saying the Pakistan’s civilian government will have take the Army in confidence for a forward movement on Kashmir issue.
In an interview to television channel CNN-IBN which is up for telecast tomorrow, the Mirwaiz said that the the new civilian government in Pakistan has to take the army on board before implementing its ideas on the Kashmir issue, Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has said. "It is very difficult for any prime minister in Pakistan to come up with a set of ideas and try to implement it on its own unless and until there is a backing of other institutions in Pakistan," he said.
Asked whether he was referring to the Pakistan army in particular, Mirwaiz replied "In particular ... We know it for sure." His response came after constant questioning over the spate of statements by Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari indicative of a change in Kashmir policy by the new regime in Islamabad.
"I don't think there is a change in Pakistan's policy but definitely in approach, and which I feel is a welcome sign," said Farooq. "Because if we have to address the issue of Kashmir, we have always said that out-of-the-box solution and out-of-the- box approach are needed."
Farooq was replying after he was asked about the comments of Zardari that India and Pakistan should not be hostage to the UN resolution but could agree to disagree and, additionally, they should leave the Kashmir dispute to a later wiser generation and instead get on with improving their relationship. The Mirwaiz insisted that Kashmir was important to the Pakistani people and could not be sidelined. And it did not matter what individual politicians said.
"In reality if we have to move forward, we have to understand the fact that Kashmir is a very vibrant issue in Pakistan....I am absolutely confident that no government in Pakistan can sideline the Kashmir issue...No government can afford (to do) it," he said.
"The Hurriyat Conference is always of the view that we as Kashmiris believe that the time has come when Pakistan has to think in terms of what is in the interest of Kashmiris rather than what Pakistan is going to get out of Kashmir," he added. India and Pakistan cannot have a workable relationship till the Kashmir issue is resolved, Farooq said.
Rejecting that Hurriyat was an obstacle in Indo- Pak friendship, he said: "We want to be a bridge of friendship between the two countries. But whatever Zardari is saying or Gilani is saying, the fact is that Kashmir is a bone of contention and you cannot have a workable relations between India and Pakistan unless and until there is some movement on Kashmir." The Hurriyat Chairman was categorical in extending support to the four-point solution on Kashmir issue like joint management and self-governance by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf despite being termed as "half-baked" by the Pakistan Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, President Pervez Musharraf was dismissive of claims by one of his former top generals who said that Nawaz Sharif was initially kept in dark about Pakistan Army's plans to intrude into the Kargil sector in 1999.
Musharraf said the Pakistan People's Party-led government could appoint a commission to probe the Kargil episode as demanded by former premier Sharif but he would not speak about the issue as it involved national secrets.
"The Kargil operation involves national secrets and confidentialities and it cannot be debated. I don't want to talk about it," he said during an interaction with a select group of journalists.
"There are a lot of confidentialities which should not be violated," Musharraf said when asked about former aide Lt Gen (retired) Jamshed Gulzar Kayani's claim that Sharif was "not carried on board" during the initial stages of the intrusion into Kargil by Pakistani troops in early 1999.
Kayani, who served in the Inter-Services Intelligence and commanded the crucial Rawalpindi-based 10 Corps, said in a recent interview that Sharif offered only conditional support for the Kargil operation after learning of it in May 1999.
Kayani also said Musharraf and a handful of generals were responsible for the Kargil episode. Musharraf said he was disappointed that Kayani had chosen to speak about the issue.
"I am disappointed that he did it even after becoming a lieutenant general....He is letting down the institution of the Pakistan Army, which is the greatest institution," he said.
The president also dismissed a group of former generals, including Kayani, who have demanded his resignation as "a private enterprise", saying they did not represent the armed forces. "I don't think it is becoming of me to talk about them and expose them." |
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