PML to hold Kashmir peace conference in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD, Nov 29: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) has decided to hold a Kashmir peace conference in Islamabad in which besides national politicians, the leadership from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Indian-held Kashmir and India will also be invited.The conference will pave the way for creating greater understanding among the stakeholders and take the talks on Kashmir ahead.The decision was taken at a PML foreign affairs committee meeting held at the PML House on Tuesday with its chairperson Dr Attiya Inayatullah in the chair.Party president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain also attended the meeting as a special case and briefed it about his latest meeting with the APHC leadership from the AJK chapter and stressed on taking forward matters agreed with the Indian leadership during his visit to New Delhi.He said that during his meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, President Abul Kalam, opposition leader Atal Behari Vajpai and L. K. Advani ways and means were discussed and agreed about enhancement of people-to-people contacts.Mr Hussain said that he had extended an invitation to Mrs Sonia Gandhi to visit Islamabad which she had accepted and was followed by L. K. Advani’s visit to Pakistan during which work on the rehabilitation of historic Rohtas Mandir was taken in hand.He said after Mr Advani’s visit officials of archaeology from the two countries have held meetings and a feasibility report from India has already been received through the Indian high commissioner.According to the committee decision, the basic idea of the Kashmir conference was to find out a just, realistic and durable solution to the Kashmir issue through mutual consultations between the leadership of both countries which was acceptable to the people of Kashmir.Speaking on the occasion, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain hoped that the conference would help give positive direction to the ongoing composite dialogue between India and Pakistan.He said that he wanted to set a tradition that the party resident and other office bearers attend committee meetings as party members.The meeting was attended among others by PML senior president Gohar Ayub Khan, secretary information Tariq Azim, Senator Kamil Ali Agha, Begum Yaqoot Jamilur Rahman, Nausheen Javed, Imtiaz Ranjha, Ghaffar Qureshi, Syed Mehmood Hashmi and Tabish Alwari. Dawn