HELD SRINAGAR: As he plans to visit China, Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday kicked up a controversy by saying that Beijing has a “direct link” with the Kashmir issue, drawing strong objection from the government to his views.
The government asserted there is “no room” for any third country in the resolution of the Kashmir issue which is confined to India and Pakistan. It said it has no objection to Farooq travelling to China or anywhere else but he would be stopped if his visa is stapled on a separate sheet of paper instead of passport.
“China is a global power and has huge influence in the region and as such China also has a direct link with Kashmir because certain parts of Kashmir are in Chinese control, which have been given by Pakistan to them — Aksai Chin and those areas,” Farooq said here.
“I believe that China is not a party to the conflict (over Kashmir) but China has a stake as far as peace in the region is concerned. So, the Hurriyat Conference welcomes the approach adopted by China and America jointly in terms of addressing the issue of Kashmir in South Asia,” he said.
He was referring to the Sino-US joint statement issued on Tuesday after a meeting between President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, which said they “support the improvement and growth” in relations between India and Pakistan and ready to strengthen communication, dialogue and cooperation on issues related to South Asia.
Mirwaiz said he was visiting China at the invitation of an NGO which wanted him to speak from the Kashmiri point of view on the Kashmir issue and South Asia. “I would go and present the Hurriyat point of view which is basically that Hurriyat wants to address the Kashmir issue politically,” he said.
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