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Sharief returns home

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief returned to Pakistan today after concluding his trip to Washington and London to try to defuse tension with India in the Kashmir region, officials said.

Sharief arrived in Lahore, capital of Punjab province, but then flew straight to Islamabad.

He is set to review steps after Kashmiri militants rejected his weekend agreement with US President Bill Clinton aimed to secure the withdrawal of forces from Indian territory.

Sharief is to hold a key meeting of cabinet ministers and defence forces chiefs tomorrow to discuss the withdrawal of Mujahideen (holy warriors) from the Kargil-Drass sectors.

The United Jehad Council, a 15-group guerrilla alliance, has dismissed the withdrawal plan and threatened to capture more territory in the Himalayan region.

Pakistani newspapers reported the defence committee of the cabinet is scheduled to meet tomorrow and Sharief's cabinet is to meet on Saturday to discuss the worst standoff with India in nearly 30 years over Kashmir.

UNI

The Kargil Crisis

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