The Hindu : Shimla pact still relevant: Fazlur Rehman

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 18, 2003

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Shimla pact still relevant: Fazlur Rehman

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI July 17. The Kashmir issue should be resolved through dialogue as envisaged under the Shimla Agreement, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) in Pakistan, said at a press conference today.

Mr. Rehman, Leader of the Opposition in the Pakistani National Assembly, said that the United Nations resolutions and all agreements between India and Pakistan from the Nehru-Liaqat pact to the July 2001 discussions in Agra, could, however, guide the process of dialogue. He also disfavoured third-party mediation between India and Pakistan.

Mr. Rehman, who steadfastly denied any links with ``jehadi organisations'', had been accused in the past of having ties with the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and its offshoots. Presenting himself as a moderate and believer in the democratic process, the Secretary-General of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), an alliance of religious parties in Pakistan, said he had come with a message of peace and friendship.

Mr. Rehman, who is at the head of a four-member delegation of visiting JUI parliamentarians, was very careful in his formulations, refusing to be drawn into giving any ``formula'' for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

Here at the invitation of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Mr. Rehman, known for his rhetoric against the United States in the past, said it was necessary for the ``ulema'' (religious scholars) and religious parties to play a role in promoting good relations between India and Pakistan.

Pointing to the warm welcome at the Wagah border, Mr. Rehman, who arrived in the capital this afternoon from the Deoband religious seminary in Uttar Pradesh, said he would meet Indians from all walks of life, including people in the Government. Appointments had already been sought with the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Deputy Prime Minister, A.K. Advani, and the Defence Minister, George Fernandes.

The objective of their visit was to create a congenial atmosphere between the two countries and to ``force'' the ``rulers'' of both countries to resolve their disputes peacefully. ``Only talks can find solutions to disputes. We have always supported this route.''

Asked about cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, Mr. Rehman said there was no ``agreed'' definition of terrorism and he didn't want to start a ``new debate'' on the issue. Maintaining that he was not in India to peddle the Government line, Mr. Rehman said the idea was not to complicate issues further.

``I am not representing those who talk of fighting. I am representing those who want to resolve issues through dialogue.'' On his ``solution'' to the Kashmir issue, Mr. Rehman said that he did not want to say anything that would create more problems.

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