ISLAMABAD, November 30: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Friday said the ongoing human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir serve as an obstacle on the path to normalising relations with India.
Addressing a seminar held here earlier today, Chaudhry called on India to adopt a realistic attitude towards resolving the Kashmir dispute, and said negotiations are the only way forward to achieving a solution to the issue.
“We don’t want [occupied] Kashmir because it is so beautiful and scenic; we don’t view the Kashmir dispute in terms of land. We view the dispute through the lens of humanity. Its residents are a part of us, when they feel pain we feel pain,” he said.
The minister lamented that Pakistan faces Indian-sponsored terrorism because India wants to continue to impose its control in [occupied] Kashmir. “But now the Kashmir narrative has strengthened its stronghold over India,” he pointed out.
Chaudhry said that the ongoing atrocities in Indian-occupied Kashmir make normalising relations with India difficult. “India will need to adopt a realistic attitude towards the dispute. [Some foolish] policymakers in India must think that the Kashmir issue is being driven by Pakistan only. [But the fact is] that Kashmiris have emotions [too] and their struggle is ongoing.”
The minister said it remains in the interests of the region that both India and Pakistan improve their relations with each other.-Agencies
