January 23, 2002	Wednesday	Ziqa'ad 8, 1422

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 22: In a clear departure from the decades-old tradition, the National Kashmir Committee on Tuesday decided not to issue a call for nationwide general strike on Feb 5, and to observe the day in a “sombre” manner.

A meeting of the committee, held here under the chairmanship of Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, unanimously decided to restrict the activities on the Kashmir Solidarity Day to seminars, discussions, in-house meetings, except for the one to be held in Muzaffarabad, a source said.

The committee also decided to hand over a memorandum to the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan who is due here on Wednesday, he added.

Chairman of the Kashmir Committee Sardar Qayyum Khan would call on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and hand over the letter. Copies of the letter, also to be released to the press, would make reference to the UN resolutions on Kashmir adopted in 1948-49 and also the latest one, 1172, which was adopted in June 1998 and had called for resolution of all outstanding disputes in South Asia, including Kashmir, he said.

The committee would also call upon the UN Secretary-General to take notice of grave human rights violations by the 700,000-strong Indian security force deployed in the occupied state.

“Different tactics have to be applied in different circumstances,” a committee member told Dawn on request of anonymity.

He said the basic objective of observing the day was to create public awareness and that could be achieved through different means other than observing strikes, holding meetings and taking out rallies.

The committee, he said, was also considering sending an official delegation to India for explaining Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir issue.