MUZAFFARABAD, Feb 5: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali on Wednesday invited the Indian leaders to have a dialogue over the long-running Kashmir dispute and dismissed allegations as baseless that Islamabad was sponsoring infiltration into the occupied Kashmir.

“I invite the Indian rulers from this forum to come to the negotiating table for the peaceful settlement of Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes of the people there,” he said here in his address to the special joint sitting of the AJK Legislative Assembly and the AJK Council.

The session, presided over by acting speaker Mohammad Sanaullah Qadri, was held to mark the “Solidarity Day” to demonstrate unwavering support and solidarity with the Kashmiris engaged in a heroic struggle to overthrow Indian occupation.

Mr Jamali said India was deviating from talks without taking into account sincere efforts by Pakistan as well as the international public opinion.

“Pakistan has offered the dialogue, but India has been consistently refusing it under one pretext or another,” he said.

Sometimes India stages the drama of elections and sometimes it levels baseless charges against Pakistan regarding infiltration, he said.

The so-called elections could not be a substitute for the plebiscite. India should announce a referendum in Kashmir to grant right to self-determination to the Kashmiris as Indonesia had done in East Timor, he added.

“We need to find a durable solution to the (Kashmir) issue so that both countries can spend their resources for the welfare of their poor people and alleviation of their living standards,” he said.

Mr Jamali also stressed that a clear distinction must be made between terrorism and freedom struggles, adding: “Struggle is everyone’s right and no one can stop it.”

He told the legislators that Pakistan would continue to extend political, moral and diplomatic support to liberate its “jugular vein” from the clutches of Indian imperialism.

“Pakistan is incomplete without Kashmir and it is the duty of the Pakistani nation to support the Kashmiris who are struggling with limited resources and who neither receive training nor weapons from outside,” he said.

He said the armed struggle in held Kashmir was the outcome of India’s perpetual denial of right to self-determination to the Kashmiris.

More than 700,000 Indian troops are committing massacre and worst human rights violations, such as extra-judicial killings, molestation of womenfolk and arson of private properties.

“The paradise on earth is presenting the scene of fire and blood,” he said.

Paying tributes to Kashmiris for their determination, Mr Jamali told them that the “last phase of freedom struggle is very tough as the aggressor tries its best to crush it, but the ultimate victory is of those who are on the right path.”

“This is the lesson of history and the time is not far when the sacrifices of the Kashmiris will bear fruit and Kashmir will be free from Indian subjugation.”

Reminding the international community and the United Nations their commitments to the Kashmiris, he particularly urged the Islamic countries to use their good offices to restrain India from committing atrocities on the Kashmiris and grant them their right to self-determination.

Despite Indian leaders’ provocative statements, Pakistan has been exercising restraint to maintain peace in the region, “but this should not be taken as our weakness,” he said.

“The valiant people of Pakistan and their armed forces are fully capable of defending every inch of the country,” he said, and expressed the hope that the Indian leadership would help make the one billion population of the region live in peace.

He also called upon the Kashmiris to maintain complete unity in their ranks and rise above their person, party or group to work for the cause of their nation.

Earlier, AJK Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan welcomed and thanked Mr Jamali for visiting Azad Kashmir.

Tracing the history of Kashmiris’ struggle, he said it was highly unjustified to dub it terrorism.

He also rejected Indian allegation of infiltration and called for increase in the number of United Nations observers along the LoC.

The AJK premier recalled that the UN Security Council resolutions empowered the Kashmiris to move across the LoC and pointed out that the Kashmiris had never accepted (the sanctity) of the bloody line.

Leader of the Opposition Sultan Mahmood also spoke on the occasion.

Later, Mr Jamali met three delegations at the MLA hostel, comprising representatives of the AJK chapter of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, heads of the five main political parties of Azad Kashmir and representatives of Kashmiri refugees and Indian shelling affectees.

The prime minister assured the All Parties Hurriyat Conference leaders that Pakistan would not compromise on its principled stand on Kashmir and would take steps in consultation with the Hurriyat leaders to project the Kashmir cause at the international level.