08 February 2004	Sunday	16 Zilhaj 1424

ISLAMABAD, Feb 7: International Kashmir Alliance (IKA), an alliance of three pro-independent Kashmir parties, has called for effective representation of genuine Kashmiri leadership during the talks between India and Pakistan to resolve the issue.

Speaking on behalf of IKA at a press conference, Dr Shabbir Chaudhry, a Kashmiri leader based in the UK, accused both India and Pakistan of ignoring the third party to the dispute - the Kashmiris - in the possible resolution of the Kashmir issue.

"We believe that there is no military solution to the Kashmir dispute and the issue has to be resolved through a process of dialogue," Dr Chaudhry said.

Referring to the recent joint statement issued on the sidelines of Saarc conference by India and Pakistan, he said about the solution of the Kashmir issue, the statement did not mention the main party to the dispute.

Both India and Pakistan need to be reminded that the Kashmir dispute is not a territorial dispute nor is it a bilateral issue.

The dispute is about the rights of the people including their right to determine their own future without any restrictions or intimidation.

He categorically warned that if both governments made another bilateral agreement and kept Kashmiri people out of these talks, the Kashmiris had every right to reject this agreement.

The IKA believes that the Kashmir dispute is never understood properly mainly because it has been presented by both governments to suit their national interests, and as a result certain important features of the issue were deliberately ignored or fabricated to confuse the people and damage the Kashmir struggle.

He said in the eyes of the law and in view of the Kashmiri nationalists, the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir was disputed and the IKA's struggle was for unification and independence of the state.

In response to a question, Abbas Butt, the JKLF leader in the UK and EU, said: "Yes, we support the armed struggle, but only against the military not innocent people."

To another question, he said both India and Pakistan should let the Kashmiri people on both sides of the LoC decide who should represent them as a third party to the dispute.

Three parties that constitute IKA are Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Peoples National Party and Jammu Kashmir Human Rights Commission (JKHRC).