Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal General Secretary Maulana Fazlur Rahman on Wednesday backed resolution of the Kashmir issue through dialogue, but said that Pakistani people were not yet ready to accept the Line of Control (LoC) as a permanent border. “There is no indication that we are close to a solution. No report has been presented in parliament. It hasn’t been discussed with us,” Rahman, also leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, told IANS in an interview. “It’s hard to say whether the talks are going on well or not. People of Pakistan are not ready to accept the LoC as a permanent border,” Rahman said in response to a question about Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri’s remarks that India and Pakistan were close to an agreement on Kashmir. “Kashmir is one of the crucial issues. Some call it a big issue while others call it a core issue. Both (Pakistani and Indian) regimes are engaged in resolving this issue. We support this move,” said the leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, a major component of the MMA. “Kashmir solution should be one acceptable to all parties including Kashmiris,” Rahman said, when asked what would be an ideal solution to the Kashmir dispute that has been the cause of two of the three major wars between India and Pakistan.
Rahman, who represents the influential conservative establishment in Pakistan, is, however, upbeat about the health of the three-year-old peace process between the two countries. “The peace process is going on well and has become strong regardless of who is in power. All parties are in favour of resolving the issue through dialogue. Issues should be resolved through dialogue,” he stressed. “The situation has improved over the last five years. The temperature has come down and the ice over old issues is thawing. The security situation is better,” he said, while pressing for a reduction of Indian troops in Kashmir. He welcomed development of a joint India-Pakistan anti-terror mechanism, but evaded a direct answer when asked about his views on cross-border terror.
Rahman came to India on Sunday night to take part in a seminar on eminent Muslim scholar and parliamentarian Maulana Asad Madani. He sounded vague about a reported deal between former prime minister Benazir Butto and President Pervez Musharraf that would see her return to Pakistan. “There are different kinds of reports. We don’t want to isolate Ms Bhutto. If she wants to isolate herself, that’s her choice. We want a grand opposition alliance,” said Rahman, sporting his trademark orange turban.
Rahman protested the move by President Musharraf to get himself re-elected through the incumbent parliament and assemblies. “It is unconditional. All opposition parties should be consulted,” he said. Suspecting President Musharraf’s claims regarding the restoration of democracy in Pakistan, Rahman said: “Political struggle is required for a real democracy in Pakistan.”