rediff.com: Kashmir remains threat to peace: Pakistan

Regretting that India has not responded to Islamabad's offer of talks, Pakistani Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar said in Beijing on Tuesday that the Kashmir problem remains a threat to peace in South Asia.

Kashmir has "hung fire for 54 years and triggered wars and remains a threat to peace", Sattar said while addressing leading Chinese scholars on the 'evolving geo-political situation in South Asia'.

"Pakistan has been ready for purposeful dialogue at any level, any time, any place", but New Delhi has not responded to Islamabad's proposal, he said. "Over four months have passed and we are yet to receive a response," he told the audience, which included the deputy chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army, Lieutenant General Xiong Guangkai.

The three-part proposal, Sattar said, includes stabilization of the cease-fire on the Line of Control and an end to the "military operations" against the Kashmiri people, consultations with the representatives of the Kashmiri "freedom movement", and a dialogue for a solution acceptable to the people of the valley.

Calling for implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions on Kashmir, which UN Secretary General Kofi Annan recently described as having lost their relevance, Sattar said it was time to abandon the road of force in favour of a path of peace.

He pointed out that the UN Charter and principles of peaceful co-existence provide an efficient and effective framework for a just and lasting peace all over the world.

"Unfortunately, these principles have not been followed by all in South Asia. As a result, the region has suffered from chronic tension, undermining possibilities of harmony and co-operation," he said.

"Pakistan harbours no animus or ill-will against any country. We do not nourish any design of domination nor hanker after great power status," he remarked, in an obvious reference to India's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Sattar said the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation holds the promise of making a significant contribution to the welfare of 1,300 million people of the region.

"The association has, however, been prevented from holding normal meetings since 1999. Such a unilateralist attitude cannot be considered a good augury for SAARC's future," he said, referring to India's reluctance to share the same podium with Pakistan.

Referring to the nuclear issue, he said Islamabad had historically supported multilateral efforts for the reduction and eventual elimination of weapons of mass destruction. "Our decision to acquire a nuclear capability was necessitated by security imperatives illustrated by the traumatic experience of 1971," he said.


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