Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday said it cannot demand implementation of Confidence
Building Measures announced by India and Pakistan during their
Foreign ministers' meeting in July as the issue falls under
the jurisdiction of the Centre.
"We cannot ask the Foreign ministries of two sovereign
countries to implement something which has been voluntarily
decided by them. It is not in our control," Finance Minister
Abdul Rahim Rather told the Legislative Council.
Rather was responding to a resolution moved by Murtaza
Ahmad Khan (PDP) asking the House to recommend to the Centre
to implement the CBMs agreed recently by Indian and Pakistani
Foreign ministers.
Rather appealed to the opposition member to withdraw the
resolution as the matter pertained to Foreign affairs and
the state government had no jurisdiction over it.
The resolution had also asked for recommending more steps
for strengthening and expanding the CBMs in a bid to resolve
the Kashmir issue.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his Pakistani
counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar in July announced fresh CBMs to
improve trade and movement of people between the two sides of
Kashmir.
"If India and Pakistan have to come closer and solve
their issues, CBMs are required," Rather said.
As the PDP member refused to withdraw the resolution,
it was defeated by a voice vote.
Khan said the new CBMs have not been implemented. "It is
right time to implement the CBMs agreed upon," he said.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, September 27, 2011, 19:15