Chairman of the hardline wing of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Syed Ali Shah Geelani, right, greets Mariana Babbar, left, a member of delegation of Pakistani journalists, at his residence in Srinagar, on Oct. 7. The delegation arrived in India on Oct. 3 on a 3-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir. (Photo: AFP)

Srinagar : While they are enchanted by the beauty of Jammu and Kashmir, most of the visiting Pakistani journalists here for the first time are hesitant to spell out what they see as a lasting solution to this disputatious issue between their country and India.

“We are here on professional duty. We shall honestly report on what we have seen here. Please don’t ask us what should be the solution of the problem. I am sure once the two countries come closer to each other, the Kashmir dispute would lose its sentimentality and then alone a negotiated, respectable solution would follow,” said Roshan Mughal who works for ARY television in Muzaffarabad, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and also reports for the Srinagar-based newspaper Alsafa.

The journalists from Pakistan got a historic opportunity to assess the complexities of the ground situation in Kashmir during a three-day visit organized under the auspices of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) and approved by the governments of both countries.

Using almost identical words, Ejaz Hussain, news editor of Friday Times, said: “Both India and Pakistan have spent so much money and time on Kashmir. It is time we moved on. Once the two countries agree on that, a problem like Kashmir would lose its sentimentality and then a respected solution would follow.”

Admitting that a modicum of normalcy had returned to Kashmir, Mughal said: “Kashmir is much more beautiful than my wildest expectations. Once thing has, however, disturbed me and that is the ubiquitous presence of Indian security forces at every nook and corner of the valley.” He said he had been told that the situation was better than it was a few years ago, “but personally I feel unless the two countries move closer and find some lasting solution to the problem, peace in Kashmir would always remain dicey.” Stressing that the Indian government had put no restrictions on their movement in the valley, Mughal went back with the feeling that “Kashmiris have a lot of expectations from Pakistan.” Asked what he believed were the political aspirations of the people, Hussain said: “It is a mixed bag. Some Kashmiris want an outright merger with Pakistan. Others favor total independence for both parts of the state. The people in the Jammu region want to remain with India. It is a pretty complex situation.” He, too, was overwhelmed by the beauty of the Kashmir valley.

“It is undoubtedly the most beautiful place in the world. I would personally like the trip to have been much longer, but at least the ice has been broken. We are now looking forward to a similar visit by Indian journalists to Pakistan and Azad Kashmir (Pakistan-administered Kashmir).”