Despite India rejecting its "so-called self-governance" idea, Pakistan Monday said efforts to find a solution to Kashmir issue through self-governance and demilitarisation was in line with Islamabad's stand on the UN resolutions.
"The proposals to find a solution to the Kashmir dispute according to the aspirations and wishes of the Kashmiris was not contradictory to the UN resolutions on this issue," Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told reporters in a weekly briefing here.
Replying to a question, she said right of self-determination was directly linked to the wishes and aspirations of Kashmiris.
Pakistan's proposals of demilitarisation and self-government in Kashmir are also part of the solution to the issue, she said. India last week had rejected Pakistan's idea of "so-called self-governance" in Jammu and Kashmir, saying people of the state already enjoyed autonomy and popular democratic rights which residents of the state's parts under Pakistan's occupation were deprived of.
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna had said this in response to an earlier statement by Aslam that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had made the proposal for self-governance and demilitarisation in J&K during his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Dhaka on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit on November 13.
Complete coverage: The SAARC summit
During the meeting, Sarna said, Aziz had "conveyed that in seeking a resolution to the J&K issue, the two countries could inter alia explore ideas such as self-governance and demilitarisation," adding it was mentioned in "passing."
About the five crossing points opened at Line of Control for movement of Kashmiris, Aslam said Pakistan wanted that these points should be opened daily for long-term interaction instead of once a week as of now. She said crossing from five points across the LoC was of a different nature as it was on permit and not a routine travel between the sovereign countries which required documents. She said these crossings would not affect the LoC status. Aslam said any solution to Kashmir would be with the involvement of the Kashmiris living across the LoC.
Refuting assertions by India on the continuing cross-border terrorism, she quoted statements of Indian Army Chief J J Singh who had said that cross border infiltration was not a problem for India now.
"We condemn terrorism and reject it. We ourselves are victims of it," she said.
Referring to the proposal of trade across LoC, she said it was different from the trade between Pakistan and India. "You should not link India-Pak trade with intra-Kashmir trade. That (intra Kashmir trade) is totally different category. That is not trade between India and Pakistan."
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