Silicon Valley (California): Restoration of Democracy in Pakistan is key to resolving the Kashmir issue with India and Islamabad could not change anything by sticking to "jihad", a seminar was told.

"The real solution to the problem in Kashmir did not lie in talks between India and Pakistan, but only by bringing back Democracy to Pakistan," Prof Sanjoy Banerjee of San Fransisco State University told a conference on "Global Terrorism and Kashmir", attended by Congressmen, academicians and retired military officials recently.

Contrary to general perception, Islamabad was paying a heavy price for promoting terrorism in Kashmir, he said. "It is devastatingly expensive because it requires to maintain a large Army to deter India from sending troops into Pakistan to stop terrorists."

Pakistan, he said, was aware that India was too big and it could really not change anything in Kashmir through "jihad".

Echoing his views, Lt Gen Moti Dar, the former Chief of Army Staff, said a "peaceful solution could only emerge if Democracy was established in Pakistan".

However, he said the problem could also have been solved had India crossed the Line of Control during the Kargil conflict.

Prof D R SarDesai of University of California, Los Angeles, took exception to US Secy of State Colin Powell's comment that Kashmir was part of international agenda.

"Kashmir was on the international agenda only because global terrorism was on the agenda," SarDesai said.

PTI