No third parties: Mehbooba rejects Farooq idea of US, China role in talks with Pak on J&K

Chief minister points to Iraq, Afghanistan to ask arch-rival if US intervention would be a good idea. Says India and Pakistan must build on past agreements.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti dismissed the suggestion of senior National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah that India should approach third parties — such as the United States and China — to mediate the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan.

Indian and Pakistani rangers hold the flag lowering ceremony at the Wagah border. J&K CM Mufti says India and Pakistan must build on the Shimla agreement and the Lahore declaration to sort out the Kashmir dispute. (Reuters file)

Mufti said the dialogue must be held between India and Pakistan.

“I think we have a map: despite wars we have to talk to each other; India and Pakistan. We have done Lahore declaration and Shimla agreement. We need to sit together and talk,” she told the media during a visit to south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

Kashmir has been a festering dispute between the two nuclear powers since shortly after their Independence, and India has routinely blamed Pakistan for helping militants carry out strikes citing the issue.

“Let America and China mind their businesses. We know wherever America intervened; see (what has happened) in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. China has its own knotty issues to solve in Tibet,” she said, suggesting that such intervention usually leads to a worse outcome.

On Friday, Abdullah said India has a number of allies across the world who can help mediate the discussions between India and Pakistan.

“(Drawing from) our elder leaders like Indira (Gandhi) and (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee who made the Shimla agreement or Lahore declaration, we need to take those forward. We have mutual issues in the border violence. Both our soldiers die, our people die; there should be some solution. And the solution can come if we follow these agreements which we made in the past. (We need to) sit together to fight poverty and give basic facilities to our people,” she said.

Jammu and Kashmir has been embroiled in violence since July last year when Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by security forces.

Indian and Pakistani forces have also exchanged heavy fire on the Line of Control, the de-facto border between the two sides in J&K region.