No terrorist camps in PoK: Sardar Qayyum Khan

New Delhi, May 1 (UNI) Former 'President' of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) Sardar Qayyum Khan today asserted that there were no terrorist camps in PoK and called for the establishment of a joint mechanism between India and Pakistan for the resolution of bilateral issues.

"Terrorist camps in an American phrase...there is not a trace of militant camps in PoK. All such camps were destroyed at the behest of President Pervez Musharraf much before his meeting with then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Islamabad in January 2004,'' he said at a reception given in his honour by the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA).

Sardar Qayyum Khan, who was here for the 'Intra Kashmir Heart To Heart Dialogue,' denied that terrorists were still intruding into India from the Pakistani side. ''How can anybody cross over when there is barbed fencing all along the border. If some people were still able to cross over, they deserve to be honoured with gallantry awards,"' he added.

According to him, independence for Kashmir was ruled as it was no longer an available option. ''We can still consider a solution based on UN resolutions or joint management of Kashmir by India and Pakistan,'' he said.

Sardar Qayyum Khan said the Kashmir issue was the biggest obstacle in the process of normalisation of relations between the two countries. ''Even if we are able to resolve the Kashmir issue, we require a joint mechanism for the resolution of differences in other areas.'' He called upon the leaderships in the two countries to expedite the peace process and take it to its logical end. '' We have already wasted 50 years. If we don't change our attitude, we may end up losing another 50 years. The peace process should not be conditioned with anything whatsoever.'' The PoK leader was of the view tht the flexibility shown by President Musharraf in dealing with contentious Indo-Pak issues had not been reciprocated. In the same breath, he, however, stated that India might have its own compulsions which did not permit it to go beyond a point in reciprocating the flexibility displayed by Gen Musharraf.

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