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A durable solution the aim: Jamali

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD MAY 10. For the second day in succession, the Pakistan Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, has talked about his country's resolve to hold a "meaningful" dialogue with India for resolution of the Kashmir issue.

At a gathering of elected representatives in Faisalabad today, Mr. Jamali said the main objective of the dialogue would be to achieve a "durable solution" to the Kashmir problem.

Speaking at the Rawalpindi Press Club on Friday, he had asserted that there was no "change in the principled stand" of Pakistan over Kashmir and that there was no question of accepting the Line of Control (LoC) as the permanent border.

Observers believe that the Pakistan Government is keeping up its pitch on the Kashmir front as it does not want the hardliners to take advantage of speculation and "reckless reporting" in a section of the local press.

The reports centre around the supposed American pressure on Pakistan to accept the LoC as a permanent border.

In a related development, the Pakistan Foreign Minister, Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri, held telephonic conversations with the Chinese Foreign Minister, Li Zhaoxing, the Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, the French Foreign Minister, Dominique de Villepin, the Japanese Foreign Minister, Yoriko Kawaguchi, and the British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, on the latest situation in South Asia. He also discussed the future of Iraq and bilateral relations.

Briefing them about Pakistan's positive response to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's speech of April 18, he referred to Mr. Jamali's announcement of a comprehensive package of confidence building measures along with an offer of a composite, sustained and structured dialogue to address all issues of concern to India and Pakistan, including the Kashmir issue.

Mr. Kasuri told them that the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, had, for the last year-and-a-half, been offering a composite dialogue to India. Pakistan, therefore, welcomed Mr. Vajpayee's speech in Srinagar.

He noted that the recent communication and contacts had created an environment conducive for dialogue and resolution of all differences.

The Foreign Ministers welcomed the recent peace moves in South Asia and expressed the hope that Pakistan and India would resolve all issues peacefully.

Meanwhile, in a surprise development, Gen. Musharraf shifted Rashid Qureshi from the post of Director-General of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) and his Press Secretary and appointed him as Director-General, Guards.

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No change in our stand on Kashmir: Jamali

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