Srinagar, June 13: Commenting on the failure of Indo-Pak talks on the Siachen standoff, the chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Shah Geelani Wednesday said the “real reason and basis of this dispute and non-confidence between the two countries is the Kashmir issue.”
 “No progress and headway can be expected in talks on any issue between India and Pakistan until steps are taken to resolve Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of its people,” said Geelani in a statement today, adding that “excepting Sir Creek, all the pending issues between India and Pakistan are directly linked with Kashmir. So India and Pakistan cannot sideline the Kashmir issue. Holding talks on other issues is tantamount to patchwork only which will not take India and Pakistan anywhere.”
 Geelani said the 65 year old Kashmir issue had so far triggered three full scale wars and other several small wars between India and Pakistan, causing colossal damage to life and property of people of the both countries. “People of Jammu Kashmir have been struggling for their right to self-determination to decide their future since 1947 and during this period lakhs of them suffered tremendous losses in terms of life and property,” he said, adding that peace and stability would continue to elude the subcontinent until the Kashmir issue was resolved in consonance with the wishes and aspirations of its people. He said Kashmir issue could not be put on the back burner.
 Geelani said the bilateral talks had so far failed to produce any desirable result on account of resolving Kashmir issue and these would never succeed to yield any result in future also. “So Kashmir issue can be either resolved through the implementation of standing UN resolutions or holding tripartite talks. 

Lastupdate on : Wed, 13 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 13 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 14 Jun 2012 00:00:00 IST