A prominent Kashmiri Pandit leader Tuesday supported Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's [Images] proposal of self rule in Jammu and Kashmir [Images], saying it is the only acceptable solution to the vexed issue.
"Kashmir is an intricate issue. It needs to be resolved in such a way that the solution is acceptable to all the three parties to the issue -- India, Pakistan and the people of Jammu and Kashmir. In the present scenario, the self rule could be the only acceptable solution to the Kashmir issue," Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Forum chief Pandit Bhushan Bazaz said in a statement in Srinagar [Images].
Pandit Bazaz, who is likely to visit Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as a member of the moderate Hurriyat Conference delegation, praised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] and General Musharraf for their courage and conviction they have been showing to resolve the Kashmir issue.
The JKDF chief, who is at present in Jammu on a two-week visit, also hailed the moderate Hurriyat leaders for their flexibility and change in stand on the Kashmir issue.
"The situation across the world has changed. The Hurriyat leaders are adopting to these changes," he added.
Pandit Bazaz expressed the hope that breakaway Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani would also change his stand with the passage of time.
UNI