Kashmir issue must be resolved permanently: Musharraf

ISLAMABAD, Sunday (PTI, AFP) Emphasising that the quest for settlement of the Kashmir issue cannot go on indefinitely, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said international community has realised that it must be resolved permanently for lasting peace and progress in South Asia.

The past accords between India and Pakistan have failed to establish durable peace between the two countries as they did not address the "underlying" cause of tension, Musharraf said, addessing senior civil servants attending a management course in Rawalpindi. "The international community views Kashmir as a flashpoint in the post-2002 stand-off between Pakistan and India and feels that a peaceful resolution to the problem is imperative," state run APP news agency quoted him as saying.

He also asserted that the quest for Kashmir "settlement" could not go on "indefinitely."

"In the changed international environment the world has also realised that coercive diplomacy cannot lead to durable settlement of lingering disputes, including Kashmir," Musharraf said. Referring to the peace process between the two countries, he said Pakistan believed that confidence-building measures and the composite dialogue should move in tandem.

Meanwhile suspected Islamic militants abducted a ruling party official and hanged him from an electricity pole as four others also died in the latest violence to hit Indian Kashmir, police said on Saturday.

Local Congress party official Abdul Rahim was killed in the northern district of Baramulla, they said.