Washington, July 24: Leaders from India and Pakistan would attend an international conference on Kashmir here today. The conference titled 'International Conference on Peace: Beyond the Blame Game: Grounds for Peace and Justice in Kashmir' will also include US ambassadors of India and Pakistan Lalit Mansingh and Ashraf Jehangir Qazi respectively.
"The conference has come at a crucial point in South Asian history. The international community has become increasingly concerned at the failure to resolve the Kashmir question, an issue which, if not resolved, could have disastrous consequences on the lives of millions of people across South Asia," the invitation letter of the conference states. Co-sponsored by the Association of Humanitarian Lawyers, and the separatist Kashmir American Council representing the Hurriyat, the conference programme is hosted by Republican Congressman Joseph Pitts of Pennsylvania and Democratic Senator Tom Harkin from Iowa.
Hurriyat leaders including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Abdul Gani Bhatt, former premier of Pakistan occupied Kashmir Sardar Qayyum Khan, Janata Party president Subramaiam Swamy and visiting professor of Champaign Illionis, Rajmohan Gandhi, are slated to address the conference. Bureau Report