ISLAMABAD Oct 25: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Friday said that the Indian troop pullback had vindicated Pakistan’s stance that all matters between the two countries, including the Kashmir issue, could be settled through bilateral dialogue.
Presiding over a meeting of the Azad Kashmir Council which approved a Rs2,606 million budget for the AJK Council for 2002-03, he said India’s policy of coercion had failed and their withdrawal of troops from the international border was a proof of that.
The president said that escalation was started by India to coerce Pakistan militarily and politically.
Pakistan, the president said, was ready to take all steps necessary for creating a congenial atmosphere for talks, provided India reciprocated the measures by ending atrocities on Kashmiris.
He said Pakistan was not promoting cross-border movement of Kashmiris, but it would never give up political, diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiri people in their struggle for right to self-determination.
The president said that Pakistan had been raising the Kashmir issue on all the international forums, particularly the United Nations, European Union and the OIC, and would continue its efforts till the objective was achieved.
He pointed out that India was misguiding the world opinion through false propaganda that Pakistan was abetting terrorism or promoting cross-border terrorism in occupied Kashmir. New Delhi, he said, was itself involved in gross human rights violations in the Valley.
RESOLUTIONS: The council adopted three resolutions. It called upon India to allow the All Parties Hurriyat Conference leadership to visit Pakistan so that it can discuss ways and means with its Pakistani counterparts to resolve the issue.
The meeting demanded of the Indian government to release all the Kashmiri detainees and stop judicial killings and ethnic cleansing going on in occupied Kashmir.
The third resolution said that New Delhi was misguiding the world by propagating about Islamabad’s involvement in abetting cross- border terrorism, and expressed the determination that Pakistan, as a responsible nation, was fully abiding by international laws.
The budget was presented by Information Minister Nisar A. Memon at the meeting of the AJK Council on Oct 21. Mr Memon is also the minister in-charge of Kashmir Affairs.
AJK President Mohammad Anwar Khan and Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan appreciated Pakistan’s policies towards AJK and occupied Kashmir.
The AJK president hoped that recent polls would usher in a stable government which would continue the reforms policy of the military government.
AJK public committee chairman Matloob Inqilabi raised the question of Kashmir property funds which was referred to the minister for Kashmir affairs, who said the funds were maintained by the ministry of Kashmir affairs and not the AJK council.
Among others who attended the meeting were Labour Minister Owais Ghani and Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider.
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