KARACHI, July 21: Chairman of the National Kashmir Committee and former President of Azad Kashmir, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, has said the Kashmir policy of the present government is very clear and there should be no confusion about it.

Speaking at a seminar entitled: “Reality of Kashmir Issue and Need of Peace in South Asia”, which was organized by the All- Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, Sindh, here on Sunday, he said a wrong impression had been developed that President Pervez Musharraf has compromised on the issue of Kashmir or ever agreed on the status quo of the Line of Control. Sardar Qayyum said his presence on the National Kashmir Committee was the negation of all such assumptions.

The veteran Kashmiri leader said there is a need for maintaining an absolute consensus and the masses should express their opinion with full force especially when certain powers try to distort the issue for their own interests.

He claimed that Pervez Musharraf was the only president who could stand against all sorts of foreign pressures and would not change the policy to please any foreign power.

Sardar Qayyum said the stand taken by the President of Pakistan was appreciable and had we been following a similar consensus on the issue in the past, America and Britain would not have dared to present other solutions to the problem.

He said Indian puppet Farooq Abdullah has prepared a group of 100 to 150 boys who raise slogans in favour of Pakistan, followed by pro-Taliban slogans, to give an impression that there is a linkage between Pakistan and Taliban or Al Qaeda.

Mir Naseer Mengal, member of Kashmir Committee and former chief minister of Balochistan, supported the government’s Kashmir policy and said it was for the first time that the regime has involved all the four provinces in the National Kashmir Committee.

Allama Hassan Turabi called upon the people and political parties to evolve a consensus for the resolution of the issue.

Dr Arif Alvi of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf criticized the world powers for not differentiating between terrorism and freedom fighting. He said at least 135 of the UN members got freedom through arms struggle.

Shahida Wizarat said the Kashmir issue was not merely a border issue between India and Pakistan. Britain created the problem and it should play a role in resolving it, she added.

Abdul Sami Khan of the National People’s Party said the issue of Kashmir is a serious threat to the world peace.

Yamin Khattak said the struggle for liberating Kashmir had started before partition of the subcontinent and India should explain who was responsible for the disturbance at that time.

Sardar Mohammad Hanif said Kashmir has never been a part of India.—APP