Afghan peace lies in Kashmir resolution

For the first time, Pakistan has linked peace in war-torn Afghanistan to the resolution of the Kashmir issue, saying a solution to both is required for peace and they cannot be "compartmentalised".

"Road to peace in Kabul lies in Kashmir in the sense that when you talk of peace, you cannot compartmentalise peace, you can't segregate a section... ok you can have peace in Kabul and let Kashmir burn. That is not going to happen," Pakistan Prime Minister's special envoy on Kashmir Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed said here.

"So you (US) talk of a comprehensive peace settlement, so let the people of South Asia not be hostage to the hostility of the past. Let them move forward," said Syed, chairman of the Pakistan Senate's Defence and Defence Production Committee said during an interaction at Washington-based think-tank Stimson Centre.

"Our core issue this time is Kashmir and no peace can prevail in the region, if this issue is not solved. It is an international dispute. It is not an internal problem. The stakes are very high now, we are nuclear neighbours so we need to have peace on the issue of Kashmir and then rest of the things can be solved," Mansab said.

Meanwhile, the US yesterday said it does not support declaring Pakistan a 'terrorist state' but will continue to work with the governments in the region to eliminate safe havens which also pose a threat to India.

The US also called for a "meaningful dialogue" between India and Pakistan to address differences including the Kashmir issue and to bring down the recent tensions.

State Department spokesperson John Kirby, however, expressed confidence that Pakistan has kept nuclear arsenals safe from terrorists.

Asked if the government would support a bill in the Congress and an online petition that the US should declare Pakistan a 'terrorist state', Kirby at his daily press briefing said: "I have not seen anything specifically about the - such a bill, and obviously we don't."

He said the US' position on Kashmir has not changed and it is for India and Pakistan to address the problem.

"On the Kashmir issue, our position has not changed. We want this to be worked out between both sides, the issue of Kashmir. And generally, we obviously want to see the tensions that exist right now be brought down and for dialogue to take its place - meaningful dialogue to try to address these issues bilaterally between the countries," Kirby said.

He added that the US wanted India and Pakistan to resolve their differences.