March, 17 2005	Thursday	06 Safar 1426

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New Delhi, March 16: Kashmir’s resistance leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani accused Pakistan on Wednesday of letting down the cause of freedom by changing its attitude towards what Islamabad has been regarding as a core issue with India. Mr Geelani is an opponent of the proposed trans-LoC bus service due to begin its Srinagar-Muzaffarabad operations on April 7, a move he describes as a tamasha, or a spectacle, to distract from the political dispute of Jammu and Kashmir.

“I regret that Pakistan is no more considering Kashmir as a core issue, taking it as one of the issues like gas pipeline which is a non-issue,” Mr Geelani claimed in remarks quoted by NDTV news channel.

He said that diktats and pressure from the United States was behind Pakistan’s alleged “soft stance” over Kashmir. “While holding talks with India, Pakistan should treat Kashmir as a core issue as President Pervez Musharraf did during the Agra Summit,” he said.