January 17, 2002	Thursday	Ziqa’ad 2, 1422

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ISLAMABAD Jan 16: Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar has said that the Kashmir dispute needs to be resolved in accordance with the United Nations resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

He was speaking at a meeting of the National Kashmir Committee (NKC) at the Parliament House on Sunday with its chairman, Sardar Mohammad Abdul Qayyum Khan, in the chair.

The foreign minister, who attended the meeting on special invitation, said Pakistan had a principled stand which could not be compromised under any circumstances.

He reaffirmed that Pakistan would continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral support to the people of Kashmir. Pakistan had consistently underscored the importance of de-escalation, resumption of dialogue with India and search for a peaceful solution to the Kashmir dispute, he added.

The committee, while appreciating the Musharraf government’s Kashmir policy, announced that Feb 5 would be observed as the Kashmir Solidarity Day in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

It endorsed the decisions taken by the president in the changed regional scenario and termed them imperative for the integrity and solidarity of the country. Through a unanimously-passed resolution, it resolved to make arrangements for holding the Kashmir Convention at the convention centre, Islamabad.

The committee decided that it would request President Gen Pervez Musharraf to attend and address the convention on the Kashmir Solidarity Day.

It also decided to invite a large number of intellectuals, scholars, politicians, diplomats, youths and representatives of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) to attend the convention.

According to an official handout, the convention will highlight the nation’s commitment to the cause of the Kashmir issue within the country and abroad.

The NKC recommended that commemorative postal tickets in consonance with the occasion be issued by the director-general of post offices.