Sunday, May 15 2005 19:24 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Former Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) President and an influential pro-Pakistan Kashmiri leader Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan has said "jehadis" have done the "worst" damage to the Kashmiri cause.

"Jehad has become a business now. In fact, the worst damage to the Kashmir cause has been caused by the Jehadis. They have maligned the Jihad as well as the true mujahideen. Jehad has no future now. It is over," Khan said in an interview published in the noted Pakistani weekly "The Friday Times."

To a question about his views on the recent Indo-Pak thaw, he said, "The progress is positive and is leading towards a solution. But the solution might not be permanent, if not sustained.

Asked whether Pakistan had lost its case on Kashmir, Khan said, "There was a time when the international community would strongly recognise and support our stance on Kashmir. We don't enjoy the same level of support."

The former PoK President replied in the affirmative when asked if "India was more tolerant to Kashmiri leaders", including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who had been openly attacking India.