Pakistan keen to resolve Kashmir issue: Fazl

Opposition leader in the National Assembly and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) Secretary General Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that Pakistan desires resolution of all outstanding issues with India, including Kashmir dispute, through peaceful means.
Speaking at a reception on Wednesday night, organised by Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind in honour of five-member parliamentary delegation, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also President of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), emphasised upon addressing the vexed issue of Kashmir through tripartite modus operandi involving the three principal stakeholders India, Pakistan and people of Kashmir to establish durable peace.
The reception was attended, among others, by Union Minister for Water and Power, Saifuddin Soze, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, former external affairs Minister K Natwar Singh, members of Parliament Shahid Siddiqi, Lalit Suri and Nirmaladesh Panday, Ramjeth Malani, diplomats, academicians from Jaamia Millia and elite of the city.
Earlier, Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani and Secretary General Maulana Mehmud Madani warmly welcomed the JUI (F) chief and other members of the delegation.
The MMA leader expressed that lasting solution to the Kashmir dispute would help both countries divert major chunk of their resources towards welfare and prosperity of the poor people, education, health and poverty alleviation.
He was of the view that the problems could also be resolved through Saarc forum. He underlined the need of peaceful ambience on both eastern and western borders of the country.
He demanded for taking concrete measures with zeal to resolve the intractable imbroglio of Kashmir, which is indispensable to ensure peace in the region.
Billing the menace of terrorism as a crime, he observed that it should be weeded out. However, he was of the view that the scourge of terrorism was not so far well defined at the international level.
He pleaded for meeting all imperatives of justice before any war against such crimes, adding that mere use of power would not resolve the problems. Earlier, MMA secretary general termed the unresolved Kashmir issue as the principal cause of tension between India and Pakistan.
The confidence building measures (CBMs) would not strengthen the peace process, if the Kashmir issue continued to be unresolved. Describing the pace of Indo-Pak peace process as sluggish, he maintained that it needed to be expedited to resolve the outstanding irritants.