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India should involve Hurriyat: Abdul Sattar

"It is premature to raise the issue of Kashmir's sovereignty and its accession to either Pakistan or India," Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar of Pakistan said in London.

"Instead of opening up divisive issues, we should listen to the cris de cœur (cries of the heart) of the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference," Sattar told India Abroad, adding, "We have to enable them to enter a dialogue and discuss their ultimate goal. Then India, Pakistan and the UN can take part in discussions on how to respond."

Sattar's comments followed a briefing he gave in London to a select gathering of strategic, defence and international affairs experts. In course of the briefing, the Pakistani minister endorsed the Hurriyat's role.

The statements come as a public reiteration of Pakistan's known views on Kashmir. Sattar has refrained from commenting on confidence-building measures such as a cessation of cross-border terrorism, the opening of a bus route from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to Srinagar, and an extension of the current bilateral agreement not to nuke each other's strategic installations to cover population centres as well.

In a reference to the forthcoming New Delhi summit between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and General Pervez Musharraf, Sattar said, "Both leaders have said the Kashmir question will be discussed. We hope the leaders will focus their minds on setting new directions, which will be salutary and build a future different from the past.

"Three years ago, the Security Council said dialogue should be resumed and should address the root causes of conflict," Sattar said. "We hope that the leaders will engage in discussions that will lead to a settlement of Kashmir.

"Seventy-five thousand Kashmiris have died, according to Hurriyat. We have suggested that they [the Hurriyat] should be consulted. But that has not been permitted by India. We hope," said Sattar, "that in the coming months India will engage in a dialogue with Hurriyat."

Sattar repeatedly stressed Pakistan's "restraint and responsibility" on nuclear issues. "We will define our doctrine so that Pakistan will not engage in an arms race," he emphasised. "We will ensure custodial safety [of nuclear weapons] so that the weapons will not be a damage to ourselves or to the world community.

"We have put in place rules that will soon be law, that neither fissile materials nor technology will be exported."

The minister also touched on Pakistan's economic problems, and pointed out that Islamabad uses US$2.6 billion out of its $8 billion annual export earnings to service its foreign debt.

"Raising the price of utilities and suspending subsidies have caused a lot of pain," he explained, "but people do see an improvement in governance and the country has pulled back from the brink of bankruptcy and insolvency.

"The vice-president of the World Bank says she believes Pakistan has recovered from past mistakes, while a UK minister has said Pakistan has one of the best fiscal management teams," Sattar pointed out.

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