SCO summit an opportunity for India, Pak to resolve Kashmir Conflict: Hurriyat Conference

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) on Wednesday said the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, was an opportunity for the prime ministers of India and Pakistan to break the ice and settle their differences, including the Kashmir conflict.

The Hurriyat Conference, which is led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in a statement, said, “As Indian and Pakistani prime ministers will be in Samarkand to participate in the two-day summit, it is an opportunity for them to break the ice, talk to each other and move forward in resolving their differences, including the settlement of the Kashmir conflict.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with the presidents of Uzbekistan, Russia and Iran on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand, which will be held between September 15 and 16. Pakistan’s foreign office has ruled out a bilateral meeting between Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif.

The APHC claimed that post the “unilateral changes” made by New Delhi in August 2019, the situation on ground is “volatile though appearing to be calm due to extreme sway of power on people”.

“It cannot be sustained for long. The Kashmir conflict has to be addressed and dialogue among stakeholders is the best bet to peaceful resolution,” it said.

The separatist amalgam urged both India and Pakistan to “join in and take the process forward”.

“We also ask the Government of India to stop using force to implement unilateral changes made by them, including demographic change, release all political prisoners, rights activists, youth, journalists and all others in jails across India, including the APHC chairperson, who is under house detention since August 2019,” the Hurriyat Conference said.