Kashmir dispute can not be resolved until NATO troops pull out : JUI chief

Islamabad, June 12 (ANI): Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has said that it is difficult to come out with a resolution for the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan in the presence of the US and NATO forces in the region.

Speaking at a 'roundtable conference on creating a consensus agenda' here, Rehman, who is also the chairman of the Special Committee of the National Assembly on Kashmir, said the presence of allied forces has created a volatile situation in the region.

He stressed that India should be pressurised to resume the stalled peace talks inorder to work out a policy to resolve the long pending issue.

"There was a need to strengthen the freedom movement to such an extent that could pressure India into holding negotiations on the Kashmir dispute," The Dawn quoted Rehman, as saying.

Terming the US led 'war on terror' as a 'war for US interests', Rehman said the foreign troops must be pulled out of the region if peace and stability has to return there.

At the end of the conference a declaration was also adopted, which said that the right to self-determination was the only way to resolve the Kashmir issue.

"In view of this conference the right to self-determination, as recognised by the UN Security Council, is the only basis for the resolution of Kashmir dispute," the resolution passed by the members present in the conference said. (ANI)