SRINAGAR, June 17: Fresh bloodletting left 14 people dead as a top separatist on his return from a historic visit to Pakistan on Friday said Islamabad would agree to any solution acceptable to Kashmiris in its dispute with India over the divided territory.

“President (Pervez) Musharraf told me that any solution acceptable to the people of Kashmir will be acceptable to Pakistan,” Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told thousands of Muslims at the main mosque in Srinagar.

Mr Farooq and eight other moderate separatists returned home on Thursday from a two-week trip to Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.

“President Musharraf has asked me to convey his country’s support to the people of Kashmir,” he said, to cheers from the crowd who chanted, “We want freedom” and “Kashmir is ours. We will decide its destiny.”

“He (Musharraf) said people, government and the leadership of Pakistan will always support the people of Kashmir and back them until a resolution of the dispute is found as per the wishes of Kashmiris.”

Pakistan also believes that no resolution to its decades-old dispute can be found unless Kashmiris are involved, he added.

Mr Farooq said President Musharraf had informed him that India and Pakistan were not only talking at the official level but also through backdoor channels.—AFP