KARACHI, June 2: The government has dispatched special envoys to many countries who will explain Pakistan’s policy vis-a-vis the Kashmir issue, which has been a major cause of dispute between Pakistan and India.
The former chief of the army staff, Jehangir Karamat, said here on Sunday the world should know that the Kashmir issue was the main cause of dispute between Pakistan and India.
Talking to APP at Karachi Airport before his departure to Rome, Italy, the former army chief said that he was going as special emissary of President General Pervez Musharraf to tell the European countries about Pakistan’s point-of-view in the present tense situation between India and Pakistan.
“I will inform the governments of these European countries that since long Pakistan has been offering mediation to solve the Kashmir issue,” he said, adding that he would also brief the world leaders why the solution of the Kashmir problem was essential to ease tension in South Asia.
He said that some kind of mediation process had already been initiated and many high-level officials from the UK and the USA had been visiting both the countries. He said the US defence secretary was also expected to visit Pakistan and India next week.
Mr Karamat said that besides Italy, he would visit Paris, Madrid and Denmark and meet the heads of governments and states there.
He said the main purpose of his visit as special envoy of the president was to deliver special letters to the heads of governments. He said Pakistani missions in these countries had already been informing their host states about the just stand of Pakistan, but he would personally meet the heads of governments to deliver the president’s message.
Another special envoy of the president of Pakistan, Najamuddin Shaikh, left here late Saturday night for Bangkok on his way to Singapore.
He will also visit Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan where he will deliver special messages from President General Pervez Musharraf to the heads of government and state of these countries.
Talking to APP prior to his departure, Mr Shaikh said that as he would be trying to meet opinion leaders in all these countries in addition to delivering letters to their ‘higher destinations,’ he would be away from Pakistan for about 20 days.
“I have been directed by the president to visit Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan to deliver as a special envoy the letters that he has addressed to the heads of government of these countries with regard to the current situation in South Asia,” he added.
“I think that there is an understanding in the world that peaceful negotiations particularly in South Asia with large armies on both sides is the only way in which a catastrophic situation can be avoided,” he said.
The former chairman of Senate, Wasim Sajjad, has said that war is not a solution of problems bet countries.
Talking to APP at Karachi Airport Sunday morning before his departure to Damascus as special envoy of President General Pervez Musharraf, the former chairman of Senate said that he would tell the leaders of Muslims countries that India had initiated war-like situation and gathered its forces along Pakistan borders.
Mr Sajjad said that besides Syria he would also visit Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon and meet heads of these countries to inform them about Pakistan’s stand.
“I will request the leadership of these countries to use their influence to defuse tension in the South Asian region,” he said, adding that as special emissary, he would deliver special messages of President General Musharraf to the heads of these countries.