President Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Anwar Khan has said that Kashmir problem cannot be solved if left only to the negotiations between Pakistan and India.
"If this problem was to be solved by negotiations between the two countries then it would have happened in the six rounds of talks after the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict. But the negotiations have failed, which also resulted in the 1965 war."
Anwar told American newspaper, "Night Rider", here at Kashmir House that he feels the immediate need for US or UN mediation into the matter, otherwise the whole exercise of talks might go to waste.
"They are not ready to get carried away until any solution is pointed out or any positive progress made in light of the ground realities".
He said that India is the biggest hurdle in the solution of Kashmir dispute. According to him India is still non-serious towards solving this problem and wants to keep it as it is.
He ruled out the possibility of a solution for this problem without any help by the US. "If the US can solve the problem of East-Timor then it can deal similarly with the Kashmir issue". He demanded that Kashmiris should be included in the negotiations and when a result is achieved, it has to be taken to the UN for implementation.
"India has not yet given any positive sign to solve this issue for the beginning of a new era of peace and prosperity in the region," he said in response to a question asked. He added that India does talk about music, entertainment and sports but remains silent whenever the Kashmir issue is raised.
He feared if there is no progress made in this issue then all the confidence building measures will be of no use at all.
He said that the same situation prevailed in 1962 when America and Britain assured that they would take interest into this matter after the Sino-Indian conflict is over.
"We trusted them then and we trust them now but no progress has been made so far."
While answering a question the AJK president said that war is not a solution and negotiations can only be successful if there is some sort of international pressure on India. He added that apparently the confidence building measures are taking place but they do not include Kashmir at any level.
"On the one hand India provides medical treatment for poor children from Pakistan and on the other hand children of Kashmir are not given their basic right of medical treatment at all," he alleged saying that this will not help in bridging the gap between them.
He said that the true facts and ground realities of the Kashmir issue are surfacing and the international views are changing, so if the world wants then this issue can be solved.