* IHK chief minister says Kashmir is 'most outstanding issue'
* Seeks constructive engagement with Hurriyat leaders
By Iftikhar Gilani
NEW DELHI: There cannot be any discussion between India and Pakistan without Kashmir, Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said.
Talking to Daily Times on Thursday, Abdullah said the joint statement issued by the prime ministers of India and Pakistan had a clear reference to 'outstanding issues'. "If Kashmir has not been mentioned in the joint statement, it does not mean it has vanished," he added.
Outstanding issue: Abdullah also distanced himself from fellow National Conference MP Sharifuddin Shariq, who recently criticised Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon, asking why India was discussing Kashmir with Pakistan when it was an integral part of India. He said the National Conference believed in sustained dialogue at all levels and Kashmir stood as the most outstanding issue.
Two-way: The IHK CM said the government wanted the Hurriyat Conference to be active and productive. He stressed the need to have a constructive engagement with the Hurriyat leader, saying he was willing to clap if they too contributed a hand.
Abdullah said there was a need to make some structural changes in the security setup to make a transition from confronting counter-insurgency to dealing with law and order.
As a chairman of the Unified Headquarters, which includes representatives of the Indian Army as well as security and intelligence agencies, Omar said he had asked them to adjust the deployment pattern of security force according to the changing circumstances. He said there was a need to provide greater role to Jammu and Kashmir Police in operational duties. "We have already decided to relieve 7,500 state police personnel from guard and VVIP duties to be inducted in operations," he added.
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