SRINAGAR, Dec 31: A top Kashmir leader appealed to the leaders of India and Pakistan on Wednesday to make a "bold move" to resolve the Kashmir dispute. Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will attend a seven-nation summit in Pakistan next week.

Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik said both leaders had shown they were willing to resolve the dispute. "I believe that both of you have firmly grasped the pressing need to initiate a peace process on Kashmir and have voiced statesmen-like wisdom on this," Malik said in a New Year's message to the two men.

"While there are extremists on all sides that may oppose such a bold move on your parts, I urge both of you to seize this opportunity to now translate your visionary words into visionary deeds."

The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front wants Kashmir to be an independent state. Malik said he had collected the signatures of more than 800,000 Kashmiris who supported his call that any talks on the dispute involve the people of Kashmir with India and Pakistan.

His goal is to gather two million signatures, which has a population of 10 million. "No solution on Kashmir will be lasting unless it is legitimate in the eyes of the people of Kashmir," Malik said. -AFP