Chairman of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Yasin Malik said on Saturday that people on both sides of the border fear a nuclear war between Pakistan and India.
“There is a sense of uncertainty. They fear anything can happen anytime. They think the tension can trigger a nuclear war,” Mr Malik said.
Talking to reporters in Lahore, where he arrived on a private visit, the JKLF chief said Pakistan and India must know that unless the Kashmir issue is settled, there can be no guarantees for peace.
“The tension will prevail until the Kashmir issue is solved. The other issues will be automatically solved if this core issue is settled,” he added.
He said Pakistan and India were wasting time on less important issues and were focusing on trade. “They must know that nothing practical be done without the solution to the main issue,” he said.
“The Kashmir issue is posing a continued threat not only to the peace, stability, progress and prosperity of the subcontinent but the whole world as well,” Mr Malik said.
“The resolution of Kashmir issue is therefore of enormous importance,” he added.
The JKLF chief said, “Taking small steps or short term measures can never undermine the importance of the resolution of Kashmir issue. This issue is continuous threat to the global peace, prosperity, and stability and without addressing it no one can ever achieve peace in South Asia and the world.”
Mr Malik said Pakistan and India must recognise the status of the Kashmiris and with the active participation of Kashmiris they should sit together and resolve this issue.
He said Kashmiris welcome the friendship between Pakistan and India because the friendship or enmity of these countries has direct bearing on Kashmir.
“We welcome their friendship and steps taken for it but the fact remains that no positive outcome is possible without addressing the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir. It should be accepted and acknowledge by the leadership of both India and Pakistan,” he said.