‘Richard Holbrooke was trying to address Kashmir issue’

Moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq claimed on Thursday US envoy to Afghanistan-Pakistan (AfPak) Richard Holbrooke, who died this week, was in touch with the leaderships in Pakistan, India and Kashmir and was trying to address the (Kashmir) issue in a positive way.

“Holbrooke was never officially working for Kashmir, but the fact remains that he was in touch with the leaderships in Pakistan, India and to some extent with the Kashmiri leadership,” he said.
Mirwaiz hoped Holbrooke’s successor will continue on the same track. “It’s time the US appointed an envoy to take the Kashmir process forward,” he said, adding, “Peace in Afghanistan is important, but it cannot be achieved in a real sense unless and until other issues in the region are addressed.”

The Hurriyat chairman’s statement has the potential to trigger a diplomatic row between the US and India since New Delhi has always maintained that there is no need for third-party intervention in Kashmir.