PESHAWAR, Dec 8: Speakers at a seminar on Kashmir have underlined the need for withdrawing troops by both Pakistan and India from territories under their control to facilitate an early solution of the dispute.

The one-day seminar on "Kashmir dispute: its solution and options" was organized by the Jammu and Kashmir Mohajireen Welfare Organization at the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday. Awami National Party senior vice-president Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour presided over the seminar, while senior NWFP minister Sirajul Haq was the chief guest.

Speaking on the occasion, former chief justice of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Abdul Majeed Malik said there was only one option to resolve the dispute and that was to allow the Kashmiris to decide the matter on their own.

He said the Kashmiri people had been struggling for their independence even before the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. Mr Malik said even hundreds of options would be useless if the Kashmiri people were not taken into confidence on the issue.

Jammu And Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Amanullah Khan, Provincial Information Minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai, Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy secretary-general Zafar Iqbal Jhagra, noted economist Dr Abdul Mateen Khan, Prof Pareshan Khattak, Blawaristan National Front chairman Nawaz Khan Naji, Jalil Jan of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Saeed Butt of the Muslim Conference, JKLF secretary-general Arif Shahid and others spoke on the history of the dispute and options for its resolution.

Amanullah Khan said his party had been struggling for the liberation of Kashmir for 53 years. "We know we are the losers, but we have to decide our fate ourselves. We will not allow anybody to make decision about our future," he added.

Ghulam Ahmed Bilour called for resolving the dispute through political means instead of becoming emotional over the matter. Mr Bilour said in politics decisions were taken with great care as any wrong decision could prove disastrous, while a correct political decision cast a positive impact on an issue.

He said the time had come to settle the matter as the Kashmir movement had already suffered great losses during the past 57 years and could not afford further damage. He contended that according to the Shimla accord both Pakistan and India were bound to settle their disputes through negotiations.

Senior NWFP Minister Sirajul Haq paid glowing tributes to the people of Kashmir who had rendered numerous sacrifices for the liberation of their motherland. However, to achieve the desired goal the Kashmiri leadership on both sides would have to take a united stand on the question of freedom from the Indian yoke, he added.

Information Minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai in his address said that it was not a dispute involving just three parties, rather it was quadrilateral in nature as the matter was pending before the United Nations for the past 57 years. He underscored the need for expediting diplomatic efforts to solve the issue.

Mr Daudzai said if the UN could respond promptly in East Timor it was its responsibility to come to the help of the Kashmiri people in achieving their right of self-determination.