Hurriyat Conference today pledged to support any initiative taken by India and Pakistan for strengthening their ties but insisted that their engagement will not go anywhere if they ignore Kashmir issue, which it wanted to be resolved within a specified timeframe.
The separatist conglomerate's Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said both the countries should show statesmanship in addressing the Kashmir issue and in this context addressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi specifically, saying he should work for the benefit of the next generation.
He also urged both the countries to show restraint on the Line of Control (LoC), which keeps witnessing exchanges of fire, as common people become the victims.
"In principle, we support the India-Pakistan engagement .... The positive efforts of the two countries need to be supported," he told PTI in an interview here.
The Mirwaiz, who was in Delhi to attend Eid Milan hosted by Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit here last evening, was asked how he saw the recent Summit meeting between Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Russia.
"We support any initiative that would strengthen the relations between the two countries. But we do not foresee any future for the engagement unless Kashmir is included in the agenda.... Ignoring Kashmir will not lead India and Pakistan anywhere," Farooq said.
Unhappy over exclusion of Kashmir in the Modi-Sharif talks, the Mirwaiz conveyed Hurriyat's view to Basit here last night after attending his Eid Milan.
Emphasising that Kashmir should have been included as "it is the main issue", he said, "Issues like 26/11, Samjhauta blasts etc are peripheral.
