LAHORE: The postponement of Pak-India National Security Adviser (NSA) level dialogue is highly unfortunate. Economic, social and political stability in Pakistan can guarantee peace in the region and a prosperous Pakistan is really important for the freedom of Kashmir. Pakistan is “political qibla” of the Muslims of Indian-Held Kashmir. The journalists from both countries should play their role in resolving the long-standing Kashmir issue.
These remarks were made by senior Srinagar-based journalists during their visit to Punjab University on Tuesday.The Kashmiri delegation was led by Daily Rising Kashmir & Daily Buland Kashmir Chief Editor Dr Syed Shujaat Bukhari. PU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran, senior columnist Altaf Hussain Qureshi, and senior analysts and journalists of Pakistan were present on the occasion. VC Dr Mujahid Kamran welcomed the delegation.
Addressing the meeting, Dr Shujaat Bukhari said that poor relations between Pakistan and India had increased the miseries and difficulties of Kashmiris. He said that negative propaganda was being fanned and that’s why people should meet each other to remove misconceptions.
Dr Bukhari said “we should convince the governments of the both sides that the Kashmir issue was not a political issue only but it was a humanitarian issue as well”. He added that people-to-people contacts were in the interest of both the countries. He said that people from both sides had benefited from the bus service which provided a chance to the divided families to meet each other after decades.
Srinagar’s reporter Tariq Mir said that his confidence in Pakistan had been restored after visiting the beautiful country because the Pakistan being showed on a TV screen was quite different. He said that prosperity in Pakistan was very dear to them. He said that there must be a strong relationship among traders, journalists, students and people of both the countries.
Hindustan Times’ Principal Correspondent Pir Ashiq Mushtaq said that the Indian media presented the half truth about Kashmir. He said that the incidents of rapes and other violence were being reported by national Indian media but with certain limits. He said that Pakistan had witnessed worse situations in 1947 and 1971 but people in the Indian-held Kashmir were facing such situation for the past 65 years. Kashmiris were making true and peaceful efforts for their independence and Pakistan’s role for their independence was commendable, he added. He also urged Pakistan media to remain impartial and do not project in a mala fide way the violence being observed in Kahsmir. He was of the view that the Indian media always highlighted issues of Kashmir including the violence and rapes. He observed that Iqbal’s poetry is an inspiration of most of the Kashmiris.
Shahana said that people of Pakistan are really much aware of the Kashmir issue, as from drivers to shopkeepers every one knows what the issue is in reality. She added that she is overwhelmed by the hospitality of the Pakistani people. Another Srinagar-based journalist Iftikhar Gillani said that Pakistan was far better than India in terms of civilisation and culture. He said that Pakistan should establish good relations with Afghanistan, Iran and other neighbouring countries for its stability.
He added that Punjab University was the oldest and largest university of South Asia and it should provide maximum facilities to the students from the Indian-held Kashmir because Kashmiri students were not safe in Indian universities and on several occasions they experienced threats while studying there.
He said “we all are emotionally affiliated with Iqbal’s vision, ideology and poetry. He said, “If I say that Iqbal is ours and Pakistan has the honour to give a place to our Iqbal then I am not wrong.” He added that this was his second visit to Pakistan and always people here offered him great hospitality. Talking to the media, delegation’s leader Bukhari thanked Dr Mujahid Kamran for his hospitality and said that the propaganda of declaring Pakistan a failed state had failed. He said that Pakistanis were very hospitable. Senior journalists from Pakistan in their comments said that it was pleasure to meet Kashmiri journalists from the Indian-held Kashmir in the time of tension between the two countries. They said that it was unfortunate that the dialogue process between the two countries faced setbacks several times.
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