HYDERABAD, March 27: Islamabad Policy Research Institute president Dr Pervez Iqbal Cheema has said the main cause of hostilities between Pakistan and India is the Kashmir dispute.

He was reading his paper on ‘Kashmir Dispute and Indo-Pak Relations’ at the first session of the second day of the two-day seminar on ‘International Terrorism — Its Impacts on Asean and South Asian Security,’ organized by the Area Study Centre, Far East and East Asia, University of Sindh, on Wednesday.

He said Pakistan had been unable to influence India to implement United Nations’ resolutions calling for holding a plebiscite. He also criticized India for not fulfilling promises it made at the UN.

Dr Cheema said India had evolved a shrewd Kashmir policy that enabled it to occupy a major portion of the state, as well as maintain claims over Azad Kashmir.

The chairman of the political science department, University of Punjab, Dr Farooq Hasnat, in his paper on ‘Kashmir dispute: An Alternative Paradigm for Settlement,’ said the Kashmir dispute had to be understood in the context of the present day world order.

He observed that the issue remained unresolved despite holding of bilateral talks, third party mediation or resorting to wars.

He said the only option left for Pakistan was to support the Hurriyat Conference in the Indian occupied Kashmir. In this way it would be able to stick to its principled stand to let Kashmiri people decide their future, he added.

In her paper on ‘Terrorist Groups: Their Growth and Impact on South and South East Asia Region,’ Prof Tehmina Rashid of the University of Punjab said the Sept 11 incident and the United States’ war on terrorism had galvanised the global community to come to terms with the reality of international terrorism.

She observed that while the focus of the war on terrorism had been on South Asia, particularly Afghanistan and Pakistan, another key area was Southeast Asia now.

In his presidential remarks, Niaz A. Naik said South Asia was considered to be the most dangerous area today.

The stand-off between India and Pakistan had caused worldwide concern as it had only recently brought both the countries to the brink of war after they amassed over a million troops on the Line of Control, he said.

A small incident could trigger yet another devastating armed conflict between India and Pakistan in which the use of nuclear weapons could not be entirely ruled out, the former foreign secretary maintained.

He said channels of dialogue had been unilaterally closed down by India and it had always refused to hold talks with Pakistan to reduce tension and create mutual trust by adopting confidence-building measures.

ENTRY TEST: The director, admissions, University of Sindh, on Wednesday announced that test for admission to MPA, evening classes, would be held on March 29. Admission forms of MA final, evening classes can be submitted till April 4.