The APHC Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and senior Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani have urged the Indian Congress party to resolve the Kashmir dispute in accordance with Kashmiris' aspirations. According to Kashmir Media Service, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that history was a testimony to the fact that Congress was responsible for the creation of Kashmir dispute.
"Now it has got a golden chance to undo its wrong doings by resolving the dispute. The party can't afford to linger on the issue for long," he added. He said that Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh missed many opportunities to resolve the conflict over Kashmir.
Syed Ali Gilani pointed out that it was during the Congress rule, India became signatory to 18 UN resolutions on Kashmir, including the one promising right to self-determination to the people of the occupied territory.
He said that the first premier of India, Jawahar Lal Nehru, had promised Kashmiris the plebiscite.
"It is the moral and legal responsibility of Congress to give Kashmiris their right and permanently resolve the dispute," he added.
However, he maintained that Congress was not different from BJP in respect of its policies on Kashmir, adding, "Though congress has draped itself in secularism, it has acted as a mute spectator when BJP demolished the Babri Masjid and massacred Muslims in Gujarat," he said.
The Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Muhammad Yasin Malik hoped that Congress would remove stumbling blocks in Kashmir resolution. He urged India to resume the dialogue process on Kashmir dispute with Pakistan adding that Kashmiris had clearly reiterated their demand for right to self-determination during last year's uprising.