Stating that the Kashmir issue can neither be ignored nor sidelined, Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday said there is a need to take some valley-centric initiatives now.
"Kashmir issue is the core issue which can neither be ignored nor sidelined. There is a need to take some Kashmir-specific, Kashmir-centric initiatives now," said Farooq.
His remarks come after India and Pakistan today decided to revive the stalled dialogue process and find ways to expedite trial of the Mumbai attack case as Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and his counterpart Nawaz Sharif agreed to cooperate to eliminate terrorism from South Asia.
The two leaders, who met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Ufa, Russia, discussed the entire gamut of issues between both sides.
Foreign Secretaries S Jaishankar and Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, who held a joint press meet after the meeting, said both countries have condemned terrorism in all forms and decide to take steps to deal with the menace.
They said that the meeting between the two Prime Ministers was cordial, adding that both sides have agreed to hold collective responsibility to ensure peace and development and to do so they are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues.
The two Asian neighbours also decided to release the fishermen in each other's custody within 15 days.