31 October 2004	Sunday	16 Ramazan 1425

ISLAMABAD, Oct 30: All Pakistan National Alliance (APNA) on Saturday expressed its reservation about the proposed division of Kashmir into seven regions on the basis of religion.

However, it appreciated the demilitarization option offered by President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

In a press conference, APNA Chairman Wajahat Hasan said it was good that Gen Musharraf had recognized Gilgit-Baltistan as party to the Kashmir issue. However, he said, division of the state on religious lines was not possible and uncalled for. He said Kashmir could not and should not be managed on religious and sectarian lines.

The euphoric idea of running a state on religious lines had miserably failed in this part of the world and the blunder should not be repeated, he said.

In his recommendations, Mr Hasan demanded that natural routes included Muzaffarabad, Srinagar, Kargil, Sir Kardar, Mirpur, Jammu, Poonch and Rajori should be opened so that people of these areas could meet each other freely and trade and business activities could be restarted.

He demanded that the state subject rule and other privileges, including separate passport and self-rule, enjoyed by all other regions connected with Kashmir dispute should be extended to Bolor (Gilgit/Baltistan) because Gilgit/Baltistan was the worst sufferer of the Kashmir dispute.

He regretted that there was no representation of Gilgit/Baltistan in the Hurriyat Conference and said any solution against the wishes of the people of the disputed region would not work.

Mr Hasan offered a solution to the issue which, he said, should be implemented in three years after both Indian and Pakistani civilian and military control over respective regions linked with Kashmir dispute ended by mid 2005.

He said an effective world body under the UN should be formed consisting of China, Russia, European Union countries, United Kingdom, the US, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, India, Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and Saarc countries and competent leadership of the state of Baltistan and Jammu and Kashmir. This body should first of all resolve the Kashmir dispute from the most tangled and difficult North.

He said all three provinces of Jammu and Kashmir should be recreated as states under a phased programme starting from the north.

First of all the state of Bolor should be established by initiating demilitarization from Siachen glacier. Both India and Pakistan have to equally sacrifice in this case and should simultaneously demilitarize Zojila, Tragbal, Line Taobat on one side and Thakot bridge on Indus, Babusar Pass, Line Taobat and Lowari Pass on the other side, respectively.

He said a suitable Chinese, Indian and Pakistani force must hold a few passes of Bolor in a clockwise manner from the north to east then south etc for two rotations of six months each.

For securing internal dynamics, an appropriate multinational force should be stationed for a period of one year till internal indigenous security forces are formed and regrouped. At the end of six months period, states of Bolor, Jammu and Srinagar should be formed.

The people of these states should decide whether they want to remain independent or as a union with the old states of Baltistan, Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan or India.

He also doubted the sincerity of Pakistani rulers and said Gen Musharraf had floated the options because of international pressure; especially nuclear non-proliferation, secret diplomacy known as track-2 and changing global scenario.