The All Parties Hurriyet Conference, an amalgamation of 32 political parties in the Indian-held Kashmir, has expressed the hope that cordial relations between Pakistan and India can pave the way for settlement of the Kashmir dispute. In a statement issued in Srinagar, the party welcomed a proposed meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the 15th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Ufa, Russia. According to the Kashmir Media Service, a party spokesman said that the two countries could not resolve the Kashmir dispute bilaterally without involving the people of Kashmir, but cordial relations between two countries can play a role for the resolution of the long-standing dispute. The APHC spokesman expressed optimism that the meeting could yield better results and could pave way for a close economic cooperation and the resolution of the dispute.
Though it is strongly believed that informal meetings would not help resolve the Kashmir issue, the cordial and the better relations between two countries can play an important role in resolving the dispute as per the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Both Pakistan and India are highly populated countries with potential to gain economic development, but the undesirable conflict is a big hurdle in the normalization of the relations. This is the age of independence and free economy and the time of colonial era has been over for long ago. Kashmir is the unfinished agenda of the partition and India as a big country should take initiatives to resolve the issue. The Kashmir dispute is one of the major causes of poverty and illiteracy in this region. The economies of Pakistan and India have been made hostage to the Kashmir problem and it requires serious efforts to resolve it on priority basis.
The APHC says that the good sense must prevail over both the countries and they should develop a cordial relationship. Such a development is not only in the interest of both the countries but also for the people of Kashmir and for this region. It is unfortunate that despite historical ties and shared history, the volume of direct trade between the two countries is very minimal. If India is a big country, Pakistan is the most influential country in the world and in this region and without its participation, India cannot achieve economic growth. The economies of Pakistan and India are linked with better relations between the two countries and steps must be taken to curtail the effects of conflict and enhance economic cooperation.