The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has said that the Kashmir dispute is the main obstacle to cordial relations between Pakistan and India, as well as to the peace, progress, and prosperity of the South Asian region.  According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC spokesman, Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, while addressing a group of youth in Srinagar, said that peace, economic development, and good relations between the two nuclear powersóPakistan and Indiaócannot be achieved until a headway is made on the Kashmir dispute. 

He added that the APHC wants friendly relations between the two neighboring countries and would support any move aimed at resolving the lingering Kashmir dispute.  He stressed that the conflict over Kashmir could only be resolved through a dialogue process involving Pakistan, India, and the genuine Kashmiri leadership, in line with UN resolutions. 

Appealing to the international community to take cognizance of gross human rights violations in the territory, he said that perpetrators of extrajudicial killings in the name of fake encounters since 1989 have not been brought to justice.  He further stated that the Kashmir dispute cannot be settled through the formation of powerless regimes or the transfer of authority to a so-called Lieutenant Governor in the territory but can only be resolved through tripartite dialogue and in accordance with UN resolutions.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)