Dispute closer to settlement: POK PM

DUBAI, DEC. 24. Settlement of the Kashmir problem is round the corner as ground realities on both sides of the border have changed and the current Pakistani regime is more inclined for talks on the issue than any previous Government, the Prime Minister of Pak.-occupied Kashmir has said.

``All parties concerned are looking for a solution to this generation-old-irritant for peace in South Asia and we are heading fast towards a final settlement,'' Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, on an official visit to the UAE, said yesterday.

``India's extension of the unilateral Ramadan ceasefire and Pakistan's subsequent partial withdrawal of troops from the Line of Control as well as a flurry of activities by the Hurriyat Conference from Kashmir are tell-tale signs that things have moved a lot from their original positions,'' he said.

``I think the military government is in the best position to lead the initiative (for talks),'' he said.

``I have worked with two Prime Ministers (Ms. Benazir Bhutto and Mr. Nawaz Sharif) and military leader Gen. Musharraf. With my experience, I can say that the general is more inclined and is in a better position to hold talks for Kashmiris,'' the POK Prime Minister was quoted in media reports as saying.

Dismissing reports of division among Kashmiri groups, he said ``I know there has been a talk of division among Kashmiri groups... All this talk is spread by vested interests.''

- PTI

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Front Page
Previous : Hurriyat denies being a mediator