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Islamabad, July 9: Pakistan on Friday decided to appeal to "Mujahideens" fighting the Indian army to "help resolve the Kargil situation", while praising them for their "courageous action" leading to focussing of international attention to the Kashmir issue.
This was decided at the defence committee of the cabinet (DCC), highest decision-making body on security affairs, an official statement said.The DCC, which met under the chairmanship of Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif, also expressed satisfaction over the joint statement issued after his meeting with US President Bill Clinton, the statement said.
The statement, however, did not contain the word "withdraw" anywhere and simply said, "the DCC decided that Pakistan should appeal to the Mujahideen to help resolve the Kargil situation and provide an opportunity to the international community to play an active role for the realisation of the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiri people and to promote peace and development in south Asia."
The DCC stressed thePakistani stand that Kargil was part of the larger issue of Kashmir.
The statement praised Mujahideens for their "valiant and courageous action", saying that their efforts would further "reinforce the indigenous struggle of the Kashmiris till the realisation of their cherished goal." Pakistan army chief general Pervez Musharraf and two other service chiefs as well as the foreign, interior, finance and religious affairs ministers, attended the meeting.
Under the Sharif-Clinton agreement, Pakistan had committed to take "concrete steps" to restore the sanctity of the line of control in Kashmir. The DCC, which deliberated the Kargil conflict and the subsequent hectic diplomatic efforts including Sharif-Clinton meeting, said the Mujahideen's action has once again focussed the international community's attention on their "just cause for the kashmiri's right of self-determination."
"The responsibility of the international community in this respect now is to emphatically assert itself on the side of theKashmiri people for a successful outcome of their legitimate and just cause which alone would guarantee durable peace and stability in south Asia," the statement said.Rejecting the criticism in the country of Sharif's commitment made to the US to take "concrete steps" to restore the sanctity fo the LoC, the committee said the joint statement issued after Clinton-Sharif meeting included the main elements of Pakistan's position on the current crisis.
It also lauded Sharif's efforts to "highlight to the world that the Kargil situation is an aspect of the larger Kashmir issue, which must be addressed urgently." Referring to Clinton's willingness to take personal interest in encouraging expeditious resumption of the Lahore process for resolving all issues between India and Pakistan, the DCC said it was a "significant development as this is the first time the US has agreed to play such a role for the final settlement of the Kashmir dispute."
Pakistan's objective of focussing international attention on theKashmir issue and securing the US involvement with the process for the settlement had been achieved, it claimed.
The joint statement issued after the Clinton-Sharif meeting in Washington on Sunday included such elements like respect for the LoC by India and Pakistan, de-escalation of the situation in Kargil and resumption of dialogue for the final settlement of the Kashmir issue which are all "main elements of Pakistan's position", the DCC said.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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