Kashmiri Nationalist
FULL MEMBER
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2009
- Messages
- 859
- Reaction score
- 0
- Country
- Location
An advice by one of your own...
AJK PM advises Pakistan to give up Kashmir first policy
By Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD: In a major policy shift, the AJK Prime Minister, Raja Farooq Haider, has advised Pakistan not to link the ongoing negotiations with India with the resolution of the Kashmir dispute and instead first resolve the small irritants and controversial issues before finally sorting out the core issue of Kashmir.
He also backed the proposal to give the status of Most Favourite Nation (MFN) to India and allow New Delhi to use Pakistani soil as a transit route for trade purposes. India had already given MFN status to Pakistan but Islamabad never reciprocated this gesture on the ground that unless Kashmir was resolved, it would not confer this status on New Delhi.
Raja Farooq told The News that Pakistan and India should maintain the status quo on Kashmir for some time, as he believed that they should resolve other issues before taking up Kashmir. He said it would be wiser for Pakistan to wait for the right time to restart negotiations on Kashmir.
The AJK prime minister also strongly backed the inclusion of India in the Pak-Iran gas project and transit facility for India to trade with Afghanistan. Raja Farooq repeatedly explained that he was giving this advice because he believed that this was not the right time for Pakistan to press for a Kashmir settlement. At the moment, he said, Pakistan was facing a formidable security challenge from the militants and was not in a position to effectively fight the case of Kashmir at this important juncture of history.
Interesting title, the article is something else though. Yes, the PM asked to 'drop' the 'Kashmir First' policy, in favour of developing Pakistan (including AJK), it would be better for both (AJK & Pakistan) to resolve one issue at a time and build up trust before moving onto Kashmir as the main topic for discussion. Yes, Pakistan is fighting against TTP, but why would the PM say this? Because, we feel Pakistani, Pakistan is our nation, Kashmir is our homeland (if that makes sense).