LAHORE, Jan 1: Punjab Assembly former speaker Hameef Ramay on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of a war between Pakistan and India but said New Delhi could occupy a part of Azad Kashmir to have an upper hand during the possible peace talks.

In a statement here he said it was America which did not want war between the two countries because it wanted to exploit oil and gas resources in the central Asian region and Caspian Sea in a peaceful atmosphere in the region. Washington wanted peace in Afghanistan for the same reason and, therefore, had attacked it to achieve its objective, he said.

Mr Ramay said because of the war fever created by India, mediation on the Kashmir dispute had become inevitable. Everyone knew that Pakistan and India possessed nuclear arms and it had therefore become necessary for the world, especially America, to force the two countries to talk to each other, he said.

And if this was done, he added, a Bonn like accord would be imposed on the two countries, resolving the Kashmir dispute according to the international plan. This would lead to the completion of the partition agenda and both the countries would start jointly serving the American interests, he said.

Mr Ramay cautioned that before the signing of the accord, India could occupy a part of Azad Kashmir to have an upper hand during the negotiations so as to force Pakistan to accept the LoC as the international border.

He warned that the establishment of headquarters in Azad Kashmir by certain religious groups would provide a chance to India to implement its designs. “If we do not desire war and want an honourable resolution of the Kashmir dispute we would have to handle all its aspects with care and seriousness,” he concluded.