Pak politicians want jihad to continue in J&K

Asserting that any decision on Kashmir must not be made without the approval of Parliament, leaders across Pakistan's political spectrum have rejected President Pervez Musharraf's proposals to resolve the vexed issue and asked for continued "jihad" in the state.

A conference on Kashmir, which was attended, among others, by Pakistan Muslim League-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq, General Secretary of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Maulana Fazlur Rehman, President of Pakistan People's Party Makhdoom Amin Fahim and PoK President Raja Zulqarnain, demanded a discussion of the government's policies on Kashmir in Parliament.

Participants adopted a resolution rejecting the four-point proposals of Musharraf, which include demilitarisation and joint control of the disputed state by India and Pakistan.

They also demanded that the Kashmir policy be discussed in Parliament in 2008 after the next general elections and that jihad should be continued, the Daily Times reported.

"Any decision on the Kashmir issue must not be made without the approval of Parliament and any proposed solution that negates the sacrifices of the freedom fighters will never be accepted," the communique said.

It said joint control or self-governance was not a solution of the Kashmir issue and that unfettered freedom was an inherent right of the Kashmiri people. "The conference salutes the perseverance of the freedom fighters and the sacrifices of the martyrs of the Kashmir freedom struggle," it said.

"Any statements from our side which reflects that we are showing flexibility creates confusion and decreases international support," Raja Zafarul Haq said.

The participants of the meet, arranged by the World Muslim Conference, condemned alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir and urged India "to seriously resolve the issue and allow Kashmiris to decide their future in accordance with the UN resolutions."

Maulana Fazlur Rehman said Pakistan was adopting unilateral confidence building measures and claimed that the way Musharraf gave the proposals for the solution of Kashmir had weakened the country's position.