Srinagar, Nov 22: National Conference president and Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Dr Farooq Abdullah, Sunday said the solution to the Kashmir problem would not come from China but it would have to be resolved between India and Pakistan.
 “The solution (to the problem) won’t come from China, the solution would be found by India and Pakistan by taking the aspirations of the all three regions of Jammu and Kashmir into consideration,” who was the chief guest at a function organised by Khalsa Democratic Front at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre here said.
 Dr Farooq said the Track II diplomacy had an important role to play in the resolution of Kashmir issue and urged Sikhs and Kashmiri Pandits to be a part of it saying Kashmir was incomplete without them. 
 “Sikhs and Kashmiri Pandits should play their role in Track II diplomacy which can help in the resolution of Kashmir issue.”
 Without naming anyone, the former chief minister said people who talk of moons and stars in their sermons won’t achieve anything. “Nothing can be achieved by making announcements of getting moons and stars. If they believe anything is going to happen, they are misleading people,” he said.
 Dr Farooq said the Sikh community in Jammu and Kashmir had suffered right from 1947 and also during the past two decades. He urged the community to build pressure on New Delhi to get the Chattisinghpora massacre in March 2000 re-investigated.
 “A retired Supreme Court judge should be appointed to head the Commission which would investigate the case,” he said, adding he had some reservations about the massacre and would make them public through his book.
 “I have some reservations about the massacre and will make them public through my book which would be released after my death, so that nobody questions me,” he said.
 “Had not the then US President, Bill Clinton, visited India, Chattisinghpora would not have happened, which even the US president had written in his book,” Dr Farooq said.
 On the minority status to Sikhs, Dr Farooq said the community had never come forward with the demand.
 “We will try to give jobs to Sikhs and in future there may be a minister from community,” he said, adding that the matter would be taken up with state government and a bill to the effect may be introduced in the state Assembly in the near future.
 He said the centre and the state government had initiated developmental and welfare programmes for the socio-economic development of the state people.
 He said Congress-National Conference coalition government in the state was aware of the problems of the people living in its three regions and was striving at their balance growth and development. 
 On the occasion, the deputy chairman of the state Legislative Council, Arvinder Singh Micky, rejected the statement issued by Shiromani Akali Dal president, Simranjit Singh Mann, that the armed forces had been involved in Chattisinghpora massacre.
 “It is unfortunate that armed forces have been blamed for the incident. We reject these statements. The politics of Punjab shouldn’t be bought into J&K,” he said.
 The president of Delhi Gurdawara Prabandak Committee, Paramjit Singh Sarna, demanded fresh investigation in the massacre.
 Dr Farooq released an Urdu book “Talash-e-Ghalib” written by Urdu Professor in Kashmir University, Mrs. Sujan Kour.
 Present on the occasion were the Rural Development Minister, Ali Muhammad Sagar, and the minister of state for PHE, Nasir Aslam Wani.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:30:00 GMT
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