Kashmir Solidarity Day observed in Pakistan

The Kashmir Solidarity Day was observed Monday across Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir to express Pakistan's support to Kashmiris for "self-determination" and to draw international attention to the long-standing Kashmir issue.

Hug billboards and red or white flags with slogans like " Pakistan shares Kashmir's aspirations", "Demilitarization and Self- determination", were seen on Jinnah Avenue and Constitution Avenue, two major ones in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

Pakistani government has declared a national holiday for the Kashmir Solidarity Day, with shops, markets and business centers remaining closed in all major cities.

At 10.00 a.m., people observed one-minute silence to pay homage to Kashmiris who lost lives in the dispute-related incidents.

In a message on the Kashmir Solidarity Day, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said that his four-point Kashmir proposals of demilitarization, self-rule and joint management, combined with sincerity and goodwill, could provide a durable solution to break the decades old deadlock over the core issue.

Musharraf said that the Pakistani-Indian confidence building measures on Kashmir were an attempt to bring relief to the people on both sides of the divided territory, adding that Pakistan and India have embarked upon a sustained dialogue process on Kashmir.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, in his message, said while Pakistan was pursuing a sustained dialogue with India for a peaceful resolution of this dispute in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people, it needed to be emphasized that the process would be meaningless unless it brought a qualitative change in the lives of ordinary Kashmiris.

Speculations are running rife about the back-channel diplomacy being in an advanced stage with both Pakistan and India keen to find an agreeable solution to the decades-old dispute.

Leaders of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), a major political group in Kashmir, have called on the militants in Indian- controlled Kashmir to give up armed struggle and support the peace process, following a recent visit to Pakistan.

The support from the APHC to Musharraf's Kashmir proposals has been termed highly significant by many observers, according to local reports.

Source: Xinhua