Hyderabad: Asserting that "negotiated settlement" was the best possible roadmap for strife-torn Kashmir, the Hurriyat Conference on January 3 urged the Centre to "shun its intransigence" and come forward to commence the "process of dialogue" instead of viewing the problem from the "glasses of Pakistan".

"We are not averse to discussing any option provided the government of India comes forward with an open mind to have a comprehensive dialogue," the former chairman of All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said while participating in a round table discussion on Kashmir issue at the ongoing conference of Asian Social Forum.

The "alternative negotiated settlement" mechanism being pursued by Hurriyat could mean "any solution" acceptable to all the three parties - India, Pakistan and people of Kashmir - and result in durable peace.

Stating that Kashmir was "primarily a political problem and an unresolved dispute", he said, "No matter who talks to whom first, there should be a dialogue first."

Describing the movement in Kashmir as "indigenous", he decried the tendency to blame Pakistan for everything happening in the valley and said the successive governments had failed to recognise Kashmir as a political problem.

"Unfortunately, the people of India have failed to understand the Kashmiri movement. Though Pakistan is very much involved, it cannot sponsor such a movement. This movement is very much alive in the hearts and minds of people," Farooq said.

PTI