February 18, 2006	Saturday	Muharram 19, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 17: Jammu and Kashmir People’s Party (AJK PPP) has rejected any out of box solution to the Kashmir dispute and stressed that flexibility at this point of time would be detrimental to the Kashmir cause.

Addressing a press conference here Friday on his return from a visit to the United States and United Kingdom, JKPP President Sardar Khalid Ibrahim said demilitarization without plebiscite would be meaningless.

He rejected the proposals for United States of Kashmir and demilitarization and self-governance, saying that implementing these would mean conversion of Line of Control into a permanent border.

He said the Kashmiris wanted the resolution of Kashmir problems through a plebiscite as promised to them under the relevant UN resolutions.

Referring to his meetings with State Department officials, congressmen and senators in the United States and members of parliament in the United Kingdom, he said there was a growing realization in the world that the aspirations of the Kashmiris had to be kept in view while finding out a durable solution to the Kashmir imbroglio.

Khalid Ibrahim said it would be unwise to deviate from the principled stand on Kashmir at this crucial juncture.

He called for the immediate release of JKLF Chief Amanullah Khan and other activists of the party arrested for staging a protest against the proposal to give royalty of the proposed Bhasha dam to NWFP.

He said there was no need for a controversy on the name of the dam, but stressed that the royalty must be distributed in accordance with the proportion of construction area in NWFP and the Northern Areas.

Referring to his meeting with Benazir Bhutto in the United States, he said he did not discuss political issues. “The focus of the discussion was on Kashmir,” he added.

Answering a question, he ruled out the possibility of his party’s merger, but hinted at the possibility of forging electoral alliance with the PPP AJK.

Alluding towards the suspension of party membership of Barrister Sultan Mahmood and other members of the AJK Legislative Assemblies belonging to the PPP AJK, he said the PPP AJK was a big political force in Azad Kashmir, and only the ruling Muslim Conference would benefit if the party divided. “Split in political parties in developing democracies is not something good,” he remarked.

He said he was opposed to the idea of postponing elections on the plea that the people affected by the recent earthquake were unable to exercise their right to vote.

He said the people must not be denied the right to elect their representatives.