Kashmiris on Tuesday urged Pakistan and India not to disrupt the peace process as it gives hope of a peaceful settlement of longstanding Kashmir dispute.
Speaking at a seminar on Pak-India-"Peace Process", Chief Editor Kashmir Times, Jammu, Ved Bhasin and former President J&K High Court Bar Association, Zafar Shah said although the peace process was very slow, yet it is the only way ahead to the solution.
The seminar was organised by the Institute of Policy Studies.
Zafar Shah while representing occupied Srinagar said although there was no representation of Kashmiri leadership in the talks, yet the people of Kashmir are optimistic about the positive outcome and believes that the process could mitigate their sufferings.
"You may take it either in geographical, religious or political terms, it could only be solved by including the Kashmiris who are the real party to the dispute" he maintained.
But, he said that the peace process has not been able to bring about any relief for Kashmiris as they continue to face draconian laws, human rights violations and called for taking Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) in real terms in Kashmir by withdrawing army, improving HR situation and releasing thousands of Kashmiris who still languish in Indian jails.
Ved Bhasin Chief Editor of Kashmir Times, Jammu said the perception in Jammu and Kashmir about the peace process is not of being a land dispute but of human rights to the people of Kashmir.
Pakistan and India are secondary party to the dispute while Kashmiris are the real one. He deplored that both India and Pakistan have denied the freedom right to the people of Kashmir for which they (Pakistan and India) had struggled and ultimately achieve in 1947. From the last few months' violation of HR increased in occupied Kashmir, he added.
He was of the view that the Kashmir-related dialogue has not yet been taken place between India and Pakistan. I am not satisfied with the pace of peace process but it is the only way to solve the problem, he added.
He was of the view that the civil society from the two countries should pressurise their government to find out a viable, lasting solution to the dispute.
Bhasin said there were confidence building measures on a number of issues between the two countries but there were no CBMs on Kashmir. There are human rights violations, killings, search operations, prisoners languishing in jails, disappearances and exploitation of women in the Indian Held Kashmir, he added.
"To create an atmosphere for peaceful solution of the issue, India should unilaterally enforce cease-fire and withdraw its forces so that concerns of the Kashmiris be heard in democratic environment without any fear," he suggested.
He said that the people of Indian held Kashmir were forced to take up arms for their rights as their voices were suppressed. There is no proxy war. The Kashmir movement is indigenous, he stressed adding that intra-Kashmir dialogue, free movement and free trade across LoC be allowed to build a consensus on the core issue.
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