Pakistan rejects India’s move to appoint interlocutor for Kashmir

islamabad — Pakistan has said that the appointment of Dineshwar Sharma, a former intelligence officer, as an interlocutor by the Indian government to initiate “interaction and dialogue to understand legitimate aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” did not appear to be a sincere and realistic measure.

The Foreign Office spokesperson said here no interaction or dialogue would carry any weight without the participation of the Hurriyat Conference.

He said if anything, the Indian government’s announcement confirmed once again the futility of the use of force and of the indispensability

No interaction or dialogue would carry any weight without the participation of the hurriyat conference.

Foreign Office spokesman

of dialogue.

However, for any dialogue process to be meaningful and result-oriented, it had to include the three main parties — India, Pakistan, and the Kashmiris, he added. In that context, without the participation of the Hurriyat leadership, no interaction or dialogue would carry any weight or meaning.

The spokesperson said that the designated interlocutor had been entrusted with the task of understanding the “legitimate aspirations” of the Kashmiri people, which in reality had been known for 70 years, that is realisation of their right to self-determination.

He emphasised that the need of the hour was to bring an end to the Indian state-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir territory and to have dialogue for peacefully resolving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people. — APP