Lahore: Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government is preparing a
proposal to resolve the Kashmir issue, a senior Pakistani minister has
said, describing the draft as a “model for conflict resolution.” Minister
for Human Rights Shireen Mazari made the revelation during a TV talk
show, but she did not share the details of the proposal.
“We will prepare the proposal within a week and circulate it among all
the stakeholders,” Mazari told the anchor of the Urdu language news
channel 24NewsHD early this week. She said the proposal, which is a
“model for conflict resolution”, would be presented before the Cabinet
and also Prime Minister Khan.
“If the draft is approved, we will move forward on it,” said Mazari, who
is considered as close to the powerful army. The army, which enjoys
considerable influence over policy decisions in Pakistan, has ruled the
country for much of its life since it gained independence 70 years ago.
When asked about the status of the draft, the minister responded, “it’s
almost ready.” In his victory speech last month, Khan expressed his
willingness to improve Pakistan’s ties with India and said that his
government would like the leaders of the two sides to resolve all
disputes, including the “core issue” of Kashmir, through talks. He had
said good India-Pakistan relations will be beneficial for the entire region
and suggested to increase trade ties between the two neighbours.
“I am a person who arguably knows the most people in India because of
my days in cricket. We can resolve the poverty crisis in South East Asia.
The biggest problem is Kashmir,” he had said, suggesting that the two
sides should come to the table to resolve it.
Pakistan’s former military ruler Parvez Musharraf claims he had
proposed a ‘four-point formula’ on Kashmir to the then prime minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee during the 2001 Agra Summit.
The summit did not result in any significant development on the issue.
