Former foreign minister Gohar Ayub Khan has said India will try to prolong the dialogue process with Pakistan with the ulterior motives to avoid peaceful solution of the Indian occupied Kashmir problem. He was speaking at the "Reflections on Kashmir" luncheon hosted by the visiting President of the Advisory Council of the Brussels-based Kashmir Centre, European Union, Ali Raza Sayed here on Saturday.
The ceremony was also addressed by AJK President Sardar Mohammad Anwar Khan, All Jammu Kashmir Muslim Conference's President Sardar Atique Ahmed Khan, ex-Chief Justice of AJK High Court Justice Abdul Majeed Mallick (Retd), member of the AJK Council Sayed Ghulam Raza Naqvi, Taskeen Alam Khan, Master Wasi Raza and others.
The luncheon was arranged to celebrate the completion of the first 20 day Task Force meeting, held in Islamabad on January 12 and 13 this year towards the global discourse on Indian occupied Kashmir and to encourage contemplation and discussion with respect to the future of Indian occupied Kashmir.
Fully supporting the ongoing Pakistan-India peace dialogue, Gohar Ayub Khan impressed upon the need of continuation of the talks till the achievement of the ultimate goal.
He, however, said that "we will have to assess that with whom we are talking." He said that history was witness of the fact that India always avoided the realities on Indian occupied Kashmir causing failure of the dialogues with Pakistan held in the past. He said that failure of the recent Pakistan-India talks on the issue of the Baglihar dam's construction was manifested this fact.
Gohar Ayub Khan urged upon Pakistan to adopt the pro-active policy vis-à-vis the normalisation of relationship with India through the settlement of all outstanding issues particularly the core issue of Indian occupied Kashmir.
He said that such pro-active policies of Pakistan should reach to the people of India where the coalition government of Premier Manmohan Singh comprising about 42 political parties was existing.
He appreciated President Pervez Musharraf for raising the Indian occupied Kashmir question at the international front in most effective manner. He said that Pakistan will have to continue the efforts to highlight the Indian occupied Kashmir issue at the global front in most effective way in order to muster the sympathies, of the international community for the early peaceful settlement of the Indian occupied Kashmir problem.
Gohar Ayub said that all out efforts will have to be brought about to compel India to act upon the UN resolutions for granting Kashmiris their right of self determination. He said that the great sacrifices of the Kashmiris would soon bear fruit and the people of occupied Jammu Kashmir would soon embrace with the blessing of freedom.
Criticising India's negative and hostile role regarding the issue of construction of Baghlihar Dam, Gohar Ayub feared that the stock of water as a result of construction of the dam would lead to the acute shortage of water in Pakistan.