WASHINGTON: A key leader from Pakistan held Kashmir suggested last week that a Kashmir state independent of India and Pakistan was now an acceptable proposition, though he doubted if the option was available ‘and wondered if the idea was in conflict with the idea of partition itself.
Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, Prime ‘Minister of the so-called Azad Kashmir, revealed here that the top US Administration officials and politicians have been discussing solutions to the Kashmir problem ranging from ‘complete independence or autonomy to another division of the Indian side 6f the state. He was open to all such suggestions and was prepared to dismiss them, but the solution should not ‘be imposed by anyone including India and Pakistan.
“Nobody seems to have the answers. They are just discussing the possibilities. They talked to me about partition of Jammu and Kashmir state, I said if partition was going to be the answer, We are prepared to consider it provided the Muslim and non-Muslim effective leadership is brought together to discuss it,” Khan, a mild-mannered, soft-spoken politician told journalists at the Foreign Press Center.
He, however, said all these discussions were hypothetical and informal and nobody in authority from any side had raised it.
Khan indicated, that these suggestions had come from various quarters over a period of time, and he would, during his current visit to the US, follow up on these. He is to be joined here on Friday by the Kashmiri leader, Omar Farooq, and they are scheduled to meet the State Department officials ~ Ms. Robin Raphel among others besides Senators and Congressmen.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 13, 1995
