Pakistan seeks international help for Kashmir

Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf today urged the international community to help Pakistan and India resolve their disputes, including the territorial conflict over the Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Musharraf said a settlement of the dispute over Kashmir will create harmony in South Asia. The two countries control parts of Kashmir but each claims the region in its entirety.

Musharraf made the comments in a meeting with British MPs who were visiting Pakistan, the British Foreign Ministry said in a statement in Islamabad.

The dispute over Kashmir has seen the nuclear-armed neighbours fight two wars since they gained independence from British rule in 1947.

Kashmir is also the main cause of tension in relations between the two countries. However, in recent months Pakistan and India have taken steps to improve ties and they have promised to hold negotiations on the territorial dispute between them.

While Pakistan has called for a third-party mediation in the dispute, India has been rejecting it.

“Continued engagement of the United Kingdom and the international community was extremely important for the resolution of all issues between India and Pakistan,” said the statement.

Musharraf also discussed steps Pakistan has taken in the fight against terrorism and homegrown militant groups, the statement said.

Led by Donald Anderson, a British Labour MP, the seven-member British delegation was on a six-day visit to Pakistan.