Kashmir issue a 'festering sore' in South Asia: SM Qureshi

Stepping up its rhetoric on Kashmir, Pakistan today described the issue as a "festering sore" in South Asia and said that durable peace in the region will remain elusive without a "just solution" that requires practical steps by the international community.

"What bewilders me is the lack of realisation that durable peace in South Asia will remain elusive without a just solution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute," Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said at an Asia Society meeting in New York.

His comments came a day after Pakistan Foreign Office said that there can be no result-oriented discussions with India on Kashmir unless New Delhi stops treating it as the country's integral part and seeking a solution within the ambit of the Indian Constitution.

Accusing the Indian security forces of killing "peaceful" Kashmiri youth, children and women, he said "occupation and persecution cannot kill Kashmiri spirit. They are demanding their right to self-determination. Their voice cannot be suppressed."

"It is time the international community should realise the seriousness of the situation; and take practical steps to cure this festering sore of South Asia. The United States, as the world leader, has special responsibility towards finding a just and peaceful solution of Kashmir," Qureshi said.

"It would also be critical for our joint efforts to contain and eradicate terrorism," Qureshi said.

At another meeting -- that of the OIC -- Qureshi bracketed Kashmir issue with the Palestinian problem, saying the two remain the oldest unresolved conflicts on the UN Security Council agenda.

He said Pakistan is committed to finding a just and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and the wishes and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, according to a transcript of his statement made available by the Pakistani mission at the UN.

He also said that Pakistan views the "prevailing situation in the Indian occupied Kashmir with grave concern" citing the deaths of over 100 Kashmiris in recent months.

"We strongly condemn this brutality. The human rights of Kashmiri people must be respected and their voices heard to create an enabling environment for a peaceful solution of the longstanding Jammu and Kashmir dispute," he said.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit yesterday called on India to "revisit its approach and its Kashmir policy rather than trying cosmetic measures here and there because this is not going to bring about any difference as far as the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is concerned."

"Unless India takes a fresh look at its Kashmir policy, does some introspection and stops treating Jammu and Kashmir as its integral part and stops harping on seeking a solution within the Indian Constitution, we do not believe that we can really have any meaningful or result-oriented discussions with India on this (issue)," Basit said.

External affairs minister SM Krishna, who is also here to take part in the UN General Assembly session, meanwhile, insisted that Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter of India and asked Pakistan to end its illegal occupation of some parts of the state before advising New Delhi.