Pak Prez hopes Holbrooke will work for resolving Kashmir issue

Washington, Jan 28 (PTI) Notwithstanding the Obama
Administration's assertion that Kashmir is not in the mandate
of Richard Holbrooke, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari
Wednesday hoped the Special US Representative for Pakistan and
Afghanistan would work towards a "just and reasonable"
solution to the issue.

"We hope that the special envoy (Holbrooke) will work
with India and Pakistan not only to bring a just and
reasonable resolution to the issues of Kashmir and Jammu but
also to address critical economic and environmental
concerns," Zardari wrote in an opinion piece published in 'The
Washington Post' in which he compared Kashmir with Palestine.

The Pakistan President's statement comes a day after the
US State Department categorically clarified that Kashmir is
not in the mandate of Holbrooke.

"Well, it's not in his (Holbrook's) mandate ... to deal
with the subject of Kashmir. His mandate is to go out and try
to help bring stability to Afghanistan, working closely with
Pakistan to try to deal with the situation in the
Federally-Administered Tribal Area (FATA)," State Department
spokesman Robert Wood told reporters Tuesday in response to
a query.

Zardari, in his opinion piece, said that Holbrooke, with
his experience, "surely understands that peace in our region
can be secured only by addressing long-term and neglected
problems."

"Much as the Palestinian issue remains the core obstacle
to peace in the Middle East, the question of Kashmir must be
addressed in some meaningful way to bring stability to this
region," he said.

Whereas Holbrooke has been designated as Special US Envoy
for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Zardari has identified him as a
special envoy for Southwest Asia.

"Appointing the seasoned diplomat Richard Holbrooke says
much about the (US) President's world view and his
understanding of the complexities of peace and stability and
the threats of extremism and terrorism. Simply put, we must
move beyond rhetoric and tackle the hard problems," Zardari
said.

Whereas, the Obama Administration has delinked, as was
the policy of the Bush Administration, India from Afghan-Pak
imbroglio, Zardari has tried to include New Delhi as a party
to it.

"Pakistan has repeatedly been identified as the most
critical external problem facing the new Administration. The
situation in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India is indeed
critical, but its severity actually presents an opportunity
for aggressive and innovative action," the Pakistan President
said.

Since the end of the "Musharraf dictatorship", Pakistan
has worked to confront the challenges of a young democracy
facing an active insurgency, within the context of an
international economic crisis, Zardari said.

"Ambassador Holbrooke will soon discover that Pakistan is
far more than a rhetorical partner in the fight against
extremism. Unlike in the 1980s, we are surrogates for no one.
With all due respect, we need no lectures on our commitment.
This is our war. It is our children and wives who are dying,"
Zardari said.

As the Special Representative is soon expected to visit
the region, he said: "Ambassador Holbrooke will encounter a
region of interrelated issues crossing borders -- old problems
that have been left to fester, new realities in an era of
active terrorism, and the residual consequences of past
Western support for dictatorships and disregard for economic
and social development. Let's delineate them." PTI LKJ
PMR
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