Hurriyat not against Simla Agreement

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July 19, 2003 19:46 IST

Two days after visiting Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Fazlur Rehman favoured the Simla Agreement as a basis for future dialogue between India and Pakistan, the Hurriyat Conference said it was not opposed to the accord but maintained Kashmiris should be involved in any talks to resolve the Kashmir issue.

As per the Simla Accord, all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan should be treated as bilateral ones, while the Hurriyat has been insisting that it be made a party to talks to resolve the Kashmir problem.

On Thursday, Rehman told reporters in Delhi that the accord should be the guiding principle between the two countries to resolve the Kashmir issue.

"Hurriyat is not against Simla Agreement but there are three important issues that have to be addressed," the separatist amalgam said in a statement on Saturday in Srinagar.

First, the Hurriyat wants the wishes and aspirations of the people of Kashmir to be taken note of.

Second, there should be a time frame for resolving the problem.

Third, the statement said, Kashmiris should be accepted as the basic party to the issue and be involved in the talks.

More reports from Jammu and Kashmir

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