JEDDAH, 22 November 2003 — The United Nations should help resolve the issue of Kashmir that has bedeviled relations between India and Pakistan for five decades, according to Shaikh Rashid Ahmad, Pakistan’s minister for information and media development. Rashid arrived here yesterday on a two-day visit. He performed Umrah yesterday and is slated to meet Information Minister Fouad Al-Farsi today.
“We will discuss bilateral and other issues of mutual interest,” Rashid said.
Rashid told Arab News his recent visit to India had been a success. He said he had a fruitful meeting with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajapyee. “Prime Minister Vajpayee will visit Pakistan to attend the SAARC summit in January,” he added.
The minister also said he discussed the core issue of Kashmir during a meeting with Hurriyat leaders. He said the help of the United Nations was needed to resolve the Kashmir issue and voiced support for third-party mediation on Kashmir. India and Pakistan have been unable to resolve the matter in five decades.
Rashid was optimistic that the government-opposition tussle over the Legal Framework Order would end soon. “President Pervez Musharraf has decided to get involved in the discussion over the LFO, and hopefully it will be resolved soon,” he said.
