Kashmir issue can be solved only by dialogue: NCP

Patna (Bihar), Aug. 17 : The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday said India should hold talks with Pakistan on the Kashmir issue as that is the only solution to the problem.

"Whatever is taking place there is not right. Bullets or guns, be it from either side of the border, is not the solution to any problem. Talk is the only solution. This suggestion was given to the Prime Minister in the all-party meeting," NCP leader Tariq Anwar told ANI.

Anwar said there should be talks with every section. "If we want to solve the Kashmir issue, the only solution is dialogue. If we stop talking, our problem would remain the same," he added. Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry has invited his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar, for talks on the Jammu and Kashmir issue in Islamabad. Pakistan's invitation for talks came days after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz's statement that Pakistan is planning to invite India for a dialogue on the Kashmir issue.

However, India has already rejected Pakistan's invitation to hold talks on Jammu and Kashmir. Responding to Aziz's statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday said India would welcome a dialogue on contemporary and relevant issues in India-Pakistan relations.

Source: ANI