Political dialogue is necessary to resolve the Kashmir problem and all parties in the "conflict should rise above" their traditional stance, said Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, at a meeting with leaders from Pakistan occupied Kashmir in Kathmandu on Sunday.

Altogether 45 participants from India and Pakistan, including retired generals, former bureaucrats, journalists and politicians, are participating in the three-day meet on Kashmir organised by Pugwash International.

Pugwash is a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

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Economic integration and involvment of Kashmiris in the Indo-Pak dialogue are among the issues being discussed in the closed door meeting.

Mirwaiz, who is accompanied by Abdul Ghani Bhat at the conference, said, "We are meeting together here (Kathmandu), which in itself is a big achievement. We need to move forward looking into future rather than going into history."

"Our meeting on Kashmir should contribute towards initiating Indo-Pak dialogue. We have to deal with the political problem of Kashmir and more than that we have to focus on human problems, the sufferings of the Kashmiri people," he said.

The Mirwaiz said the best thing is to facilitate a triangular dialogue to develop a broader consensus on the issue.

"You can't solve the problems through violence or by force. Political dialogue is necessary to resolve the problem. It's time to move forward. All the parties of conflict should rise above tradition."

External Links: Pugwash International