LAHORE, Feb 5: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has said resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the aspirations of Kashmiris was necessary for a lasting peace in the region.

He said at a Kashmir Day meeting held at the Muslim League House here on Saturday the people of the occupied valley were struggling for exercising their right to self-determination. They should be given the right in accordance with the UN resolutions, he added.

He said the Kashmir issue had been projected at the global level effectively as a result of exemplary foreign policy of the present regime. All the political forces in the country should support the principled stand of the government on the issue.

The chief minister said improvement in Indo-Pakistan business and cultural relations and frequent exchanges of delegations were necessary for creating a conducive atmosphere for resolving Kashmir and other disputes in an amicable manner.

He said Kashmir was a core issue between the two countries. He appealed to the world to put pressure on India for giving the right to self-determination to Kashmiris.

He said Pakistan was a peaceful country which believed in the principles of international peace and justice. Pakistan was a fortress of Islam. Pakistanis were being elected as members of assemblies in Norway, Britain and other countries and projecting the national stand on international issues in the best possible manner.

The chief minister said the Muslim League had founded Pakistan and its strength guaranteed the strength of the country. The Kashmir Day was the day of Muslim League because the map of Pakistan was incomplete without Kashmir.

He said Kashmir was not the issue of Kashmiris alone but it was the issue of every patriot Pakistani. India should give the Kashmiris their right to self-determination without raising the settled matters as three wars had already been fought on the issue.

He claimed that the government had done record development work and the people had started benefiting from the positive results of its reforms programme. He urged the party workers and legislators to contribute to the efforts for the economic development of the country.

Punjab Communications and Works Minister Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, Agriculture Minister Arshad Lodhi, Information Technology Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, Tourism Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal, district Nazim Mian Amer Mahmood, Lahore PML president Mian Munir and chief minister's coordinator Senator Kamil Ali Agha also addressed the meeting.

Resolution supporting the right to self-determination of Ksahmiris, the government stand on Baglihar dam, expressing satisfaction over the policies of President Gen Musharraf and the Punjab government, and the role played by PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Husain for inter-provincial harmony were adopted at the meeting unanimously.