"We do know that Pakistan and India must have their own economic compulsions for increasing trade...Kashmiri people are not against the move but MFN should be given on the condition that India should not usurps the rights of the Kashmiri people," Mirwais said when asked about Pakistan's move to grant MFN status to India.
"It's okay to grant MFN status to India, but the most important issue is that...the people of Kashmir should also be included in the on-going dialogue process," he said, adding that he doesn't think Pakistan, by granting MFN status to India, was deviating from its principle stance on Kashmir.
Earlier, talking to media persons, the Hurriyat leader said that it becomes the responsibility of Pakistani leadership to include Kashmiri people in the dialogue process initiated to resolve out standing issues with India. "We want that confidence building measures (CBMs) should also be seen in Jammu and Kashmir," he said, adding that it was welcoming that the two countries are normalising their relations but its benefits should also be passed on to the Kashmiri people.
He said that there should also be CMBs in the Jammu and Kashmir likewise demilitarisation, release of the Kashmiris currently languishing in Indian jails and respect to their rights. "We are not against the Pak-India friendship but the question is...whether the relations between the two could be improved sans resolution of the Kashmir dispute," he questioned.
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference delegation, who is visiting Pakistan, earlier addressed a seminar organised by Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI) under the theme "Prospects of Resolving the Kashmir Dispute: Views from the APHC".
Speaking at the occasion, Mirwaiz said that it was very important to determine the context of the issue. "Is it a territorial dispute or a question of the rights of the Kashmiri people," he asked, adding that although the issue is bilateral in nature, the aspirations of the Kashmiri people should also be taken into account.
He made it clear that there can be no solution to the problems without taking the Kashmiri people on board. He expressed his concern that the government of India succeeded in confusing the grievances of the Kashmiri people with their aspirations. "It is said that resolving issues like health care and poor governance etc would address the aspirations of the Kashmiri people," he said, adding that people of Kashmir are looking towards Pakistan for support.
He said that Pakistan acknowledges that Kashmiris should be made part of negotiations but the important question arises here that which party would be allowed to come to the table? "Would it be parties like PDP and National Congress which are backed by India or some other party supported by Pakistan," he questioned.
He stressed the need for developing a mechanism and a clear policy for the way forward. He welcomed the ongoing talks between India and Pakistan but also highlighted the fact that unless the core issue of Kashmir is not resolved, talks on other problems like Siachen and Sir Creek would be of no use.
Professor Abdul Ghani Bhutt said that a number of changes were taking place around the world which makes the prospects of the resolution of this dispute bright. "Kashmiris want a permanent solution to the problem as it is linked to the peace and security of the entire South Asian region," he pointed out. Earlier, welcoming the delegation, Director General ISSI, former ambassador Ashraf Jehangir Qazi said that Kashmir dispute was one of the oldest disputes on the UN agenda.
Besides Indian refusal to make a meaningful effort to resolve the issue, Pakistan has also made a number of mistakes. However, these mistakes cannot diminish the importance of Kashmir issue, he added. He said that the issue was not about a piece of land but about the basic right of millions of Kashmiris. Kashmiris have shown that despite massive human rights abuses, their struggle would continue till the end, he added.