August 17, 2002	Saturday	Jamadi-us-Saani 7, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 16: Information Minister Nisar Memon reiterated on Thursday Pakistan’s stand that Jammu and Kashmir was a disputed territory, and that elections could not be a substitute for plebiscite granted to the Kashmiris by the United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Speaking to BBC television, he denied Pakistan was involved in any kind of terrorism in India or the disputed territory of Kashmir. He said: “We deny involvement in any terrorism that has been taking place in India.

“In fact, we condemn terrorism anywhere in the world. What really is happening is that we are fighting terrorism internationally.” Nisar stressed: “We are victims of terrorism in our own country. Therefore, it is all a political ploy of the Indian government in order to avoid dialogue with Pakistan.”

The crux of the matter, he said, was that India should agree to a dialogue instead of talking about a congenial or a conducive environment.

All this talk from India was for escaping dialogue which was needed to sort out the problems between India and Pakistan, specially the issue of the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir, he added.

To a question that infiltration was continuing from Pakistan, he said: “This is totally wrong. We have denied this and the world recognises that no such thing is happening.”

“Agents can always be planted who say that they have linkages (with Pakistan),” he pointed out.

The minister said it was for India really to allow the people of Jammu and Kashmir to hold a plebiscite so that Kashmiris could decide their future.

Jammu and Kashmir “is not an integral part of India but a disputed territory and the United Nations Security Council resolutions ask for a plebiscite,” he emphasised.

The elections that were to take place in Jammu and Kashmir were no substitute for plebiscite, and this was the position of world powers and this was what India had been told by various countries, he added.

To a question, he said it was the rhetoric of Indians that they had always been linking anything that happened in India and in disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan. “This is absolutely wrong.”

Nisar said: “India is using double standards .... Indian prime minister talks of why can’t we solve our problems through dialogue. We are saying why not.”

It was President Gen Pervez Musharraf who went all the way to Almaty on the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold meeting with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, he recalled.

Then it was the Indian premier who did not agree to come to dialogue table but now he was talking of dialogue, he said, adding: “Yes, the dialogue should be there but then let them (Indians) start the dialogue process. We are not at all for escalation.”—APP