Thursday, April 28 2005 10:20 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Taking head on hardliners' charge of dilution of its stand on Kashmir during President Pervez Musharraf's Delhi visit, Pakistan last night (Apr 27, 2005) said Kashmiris should take changed world order into consideration in finding a solution to Kashmir issue even if it does not meet their aspirations.

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid, who had accompanied Musharraf to India on April 16-17, cautioned at an all-party round table conference on Kashmir in Islamabad that Kashmiris should not make the mistake of Palestinians.

"The truth of the matter is Palestinians are being offered much less than what was offered and rejected by them several years ago. It is a different world and we should not forget it," he said.

"I do not want to say anything more in the context of Kashmir," he said in response to some critical statements made by some of the leaders from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

Several Kashmiri leaders and militant groups like Hizbul Mjiahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiaba and Jaish-e-Mushammad have accused Musharraf of diluting Pakistan's stand on Kashmir.

Rashid said time was ripe for a final settlement of Kashmir issue as top world leaders, including US President George Bush, called for its resolution and counselled Kashmiri leaders to be practical in their approach.

"It is not prudent to expect any one to return with the same proposal to the negotiating table. The ultimate solution might not reflect fully aspirations of Kashmiris. But we have to be practical," Rashid said.

Reacting to some rhetorical statements eulogising the "sacrifices" of Kashmiris, Rashid pointed out that the death of militants in Jammu and Kashmir was news only for State-owned PTV while the rest of press routinely ignored it.

"Barring the PTV, they hardly merited a single column news elsewhere. Please think why it is happening".

Rashid's remarks came a day after Musharraf had during an interactive programme on PTV said it was the Kashmiris, not Pakistanis, who suffered most due to continuation of the conflict and his main aim was to alleviate the sufferings of Kashmir.

Reacting to Musharraf's remarks, POK-based Hurriyat leader A Saraf told the conference that the President's utterances were "strange" as Pakistan had till recently maintained Kashmir as its jugular vein and vowed to regain it.

"Gen Musharraf says suffering of Kashmiris is not the suffering of Pakistan. It is very strange. Besides, who is Gen Musharraf to alleviate our sufferings? We have chosen to suffer for certain objectives. If he can help us achieve those objectives fine, otherwise we would find our own way," Saraf said.

Rashid said Kashmir issue is now at the most important juncture of history. Though in terms of a solution it is in initial stages, it has attained pivotal position for Pakistan and India, he added while addressing the roundtable conference organised by a newspaper by a newspaper in Islamabad.

Rashid called upon the Kashmiri intelligentsia to thoroughly ponder over the issue for seeking such a solution that may not convey the impression that one country or the other is victor or loser.

He said the Kashmiri leadership from across the Line of Control (LoC) might visit Pakistan in the days to come.

The Information Minister said Musharraf, for his part, has taken Kashmiri leadership from both sides of the LoC into confidence during separate meetings with them.

"It is the need of the hour that the issue be resolved through dialogue process and the world powers have been taking keen interest in it," he said.

Rashid said it is an established fact that both the countries are nuclear powers and this issue can never be resolved through power. Rather, it can be settled only through peaceful means of dialogue.

He said it has also become imperative that the Kashmiri leadership from both sides of LoC stand with President Musharraf in the quest for a just resolution of the issue.