Lahore, July 2: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has asked opposition parties to back his government’s efforts on the Kashmir issue so that a strong case on it can be presented to the world community.
“The opposition should gracefully accept their defeat in the (Pakistan-administered) Kashmir polls and back the government’s efforts on the Kashmir cause so that we can strongly present its case to the world,” Gilani said.
Lasting peace in the region could not be achieved till a solution to the Kashmir issue is found, Gilani said while talking to a group of journalists at his residence here yesterday.
He said the ruling PPP would continue supporting the Kashmiri people at the moral, political and diplomatic levels.
“Pakistanis have an emotional attachment with the Kashmir cause and they are with the Kashmiris till a solution is found to the issue,” he said.
Criticising former premier Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N party, Gilani said those who organised “huge” political meetings during the campaign for the PaK elections spent their energies in criticising the government but did not present any solution to issues.
They should have talked about the problems the Kashmiris are facing instead of indulging in “point-scoring games”, he said.
“The resolution of the Kashmir issue is in the manifesto of the PPP. Kashmiris have reposed their confidence in the PPP for raising their issue and its pro-people policies,” he said, asking the opposition to accept its defeat in the PaK polls.

‘SINGH’S REMARKS COULD HARM PEACE TALKS’
Meanwhile, former premier Nawaz Sharif Saturday said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s remarks that Pakistan should “leave Kashmir alone” could harm peace talks between the two countries.
“This is not a political statement. Such statements complicate matters. The Indian Prime Minister should not have made such a statement and there was no need for it,” Sharif, the chief of the main opposition PML-N, said during an interaction with reporters.
Such a statement could create a hurdle in the reconciliation process between the two countries, he said in response to a question about Singh’s remarks.
During a recent meeting with editors, Singh had said he hoped that “Pakistan will leave Kashmir alone, because they have their own share of internal problems”.
Sharif was earlier criticised by his detractors for saying that Pakistan should stop considering India its enemy.
He had also claimed that former Indian premier Atal Behari Vajpayee and he had worked on modalities to resolve the Kashmir issue in 1999.
During today’s interaction with reporters, Sharif announced that the PML-N would make all efforts to form a “grand alliance” to oust the Pakistan People’s Party-led government at the centre.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 2 Jul 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 2 Jul 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 3 Jul 2011 00:00:00 IST