Tuesday, May 31 2005 07:31 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Ruling out autonomy as a solution to the Kashmir issue, Pakistan yesterday (May 30, 2005) said demilitarisation was a pre-requisite for extending right to self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and finally empowering them.

President Pervez Musharraf has never advocated granting autonomy or semi-autonomy as a solutions to resolve the Kashmir issue, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Jalil Abbas Jilani told reporters in response to questions in Islamabad.

Musharraf had not proposed autonomy or semi-autonomy to any part of Kashmir as a solution. "The President never made any such statement", Jilani said.

Elaborating, he said Musharraf in his quest to seek a lasting solution to Jammu and Kashmir issue made certain remarks in the recent weeks.

These included "un-acceptability of a solution based on the Line of Control (LOC), respect to the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, resolution of the dispute which is acceptable to all the stakeholders including Pakistan, India and Kashmir and demilitarisation, which is a prerequisite for extending right of self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and finally empowering the people of Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

Jilani said there was a need to focus on efforts, discussions and consultations to find a lasting solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which has also been articulated in the Joint Statement of April 18, 2005.

In reply to a question at the Parliamentarians conference organised by South Asian Free Media Association on May 20 in Islamabad, Musharraf said a solution to Kashmir issue cannot be on the basis of religion but it should on the basis of the people and region.

"To identify a region, allow maximum self governance to the people, de-militarise and take some actions to make border irrelevant," he had said.

Islamabad, however, was certain that India and Pakistan would be about find acceptable solution to all the problems, Jilani said.

On criticism from India about continuing infiltration, Jilani said there was no cross border terrorism taking place. Only state terrorism was taking place in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

"We are engaged in dialogue process for resolution of all issues including Jammu and Kashmir. Such statements are the legacy of an era when relations between the two countries were very tense. Now we are entering a new phase and such statements are not helpful", he said.