Qayyum for formation of Kashmir body at FO level -DAWN

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December 24, 2002	Tuesday	Shawwal 19, 1423

Qayyum for formation of Kashmir body at FO level

By Our Reporter

RAWALPINDI, Dec 23: The national Kashmir committee chairman, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, has said the government should discuss Kashmir issue with the Iranian president, Mohammad Khatami, during the later’s three-day visit to Pakistan.

Mr Khan was speaking at a ‘meet the press’ programme held at the Rawalpindi Press Club on Monday.

He said Iran had a soft corner for the Pakistani stance over the issue of Kashmir before 90s and the country could regain their moral support if the leaders of both the countries discussed the vital issue.

Responding to a query, Mr Khan said the Kashmir committee had done a positive job for the projection of Kashmir issue internationally after the 9/11 incident. But he feared a break in their consistency after January 15, 2003 when the tenure of the committee would end.

He said the Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali should project the Kashmir cause through new strategies and encounter the Indian propaganda with effective projection of Kashmir issue.

For that purpose, Mr Khan maintained, the country’s leadership should constitute a ‘Kashmir Council’, at the foreign office.

He said the Indian government had resorted to an institutionalized projection of their cause, while there were still flaws and inconsistencies in Pakistan’s approach to deal with the matter, professionally.

He denied the reported meeting of the Kashmir committee of both Pakistan and India and added that the US had to do more to reduce the tension between the two nuclear neighbours over the long standing issue.

The Kashmir committee chairman said, even in the US, the people knew that there was a difference between terrorism and freedom movements. If any country mixed or equalize one with the other, it would be like legitimising terrorism, he added.

He said every country wanted a peaceful solution of the issue and for that purpose the talks between India and Pakistan were vital and should be re-started as soon as possible.