ISLAMABAD, 8 May 2005 — A “United State of Kashmir” under the joint control of Pakistan and India is the only solution to the dragging dispute over the region, a leader of Pakistan-administered part has said. “It is the only solution that could give relief to Kashmiris”, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, a former prime minister of Pakistani Kashmir and head of Muslim Conference, said in an interview to Urdu daily Ausaf. The United State of Kashmir would soon emerge, he maintained. Qayyum blamed Pakistan’s religious parties for causing “maximum damage” to the Kashmir struggle, saying “they wanted to conquer India rather than Kashmir”. He said jihadi outfits had entirely changed the dimension of Kashmir struggle and their call to “conquer India” had badly damaged the Kashmir cause. Qayyum said dividing Kashmir into five regions and making them part of a United State of Kashmir was the most practical solution to the problem, though he still favored Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan. According to him, President Pervez Musharraf had dealt with the Kashmir issue with “great expertise”.
