ISLAMABAD, Sept 9: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has called for an early settlement of the Kashmir dispute, saying it is a must for sustainable peace in South Asia.

“Time has come for Pakistan and India to move from the extended phase of dispute management to dispute resolution in view of the fact that this festering dispute has bedevilled the relations between the two countries for over 50 years,” he said while talking to AJK President Raja Zulqarnain Haider who called on him at the Prime Minister’s House on Saturday.

He said any solution to the issue should be acceptable to the three parties – the people of Kashmir, India and Pakistan.

Mr Haider told the prime minister the people of Kashmir appreciated the consistent support given by the people and the government of Pakistan to the cause of Kashmir. He also acknowledged the moral and material support of the government and the army to the people of Kashmir after last year’s earthquake.

Later, Mr Aziz, in his capacity as chairman of the AJK Council, administered oath to five members of the council, Iftikhar Ahmad, Sardar Naseem Ahmed, Farooq Sikandar, Pervaiz Akhtar and Ghulam Raza Shah Naqvi.

The prime minister urged the newly-elected advisers and councillors to make efforts for realising AJK’s potential, particularly in the fields of hydel power, minerals and tourism development.

The meeting was also attended by AJK Prime Minister Sardar Ateeq, Federal Minister for Education Javed Ashraf Qazi, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas Tahir Iqbal and special assistant to prime minister Khalilur Rahman.