ISLAMABAD, Dec 19: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said on Friday that Pakistan had not dropped its demand based on UN resolutions on Kashmir and the president’s statement did not imply “unilateral abandonment” of Pakistan’s principled position on the UN Security Council resolutions.

In an interview with APP, the foreign minister said what the president stated was that Pakistan was “for UN Security Council resolutions” for a lasting and durable solution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

“But if Pakistan and India wanted to resolve this issue, both sides needed to talk to each other with flexibility, going beyond their stated positions, meeting halfway somewhere,” the minister said when asked in what context did the president refer to the UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir in his interview to Reuters news agency.

Mr Kasuri said when the president said, “we have left that aside” what he meant was that the Security Council resolutions on Kashmir had not been implemented. “It does not mean that Pakistan has unilaterally dropped its demand based on UN resolutions.”

The foreign minister said the president referred to flexibility to be shown by both sides. That did not imply a “unilateral abandonment” of Pakistan’s principled position on UN resolutions.

When asked whether Pakistan was ready to drop its long-standing demand for the implementation of the UN resolutions, the minister said “no”, adding that the president in fact said that Pakistan would prefer the dispute to be resolved on the basis of the UN Security Council resolutions.

“The president’s remarks should be seen in their entire context,” he said and added that these resolutions were a documentary evidence of the Kashmir dispute.

Mr Kasuri said in the said interview the president also reiterated what had by now become his famous four-point proposal; start dialogue; accept the centrality of Kashmir; eliminate whatever is not acceptable to Pakistan, India, and the people of Kashmir; and arrive at a solution acceptable to Pakistan, India and the people of Kashmir.

When asked is this a new concession that Pakistan has made to India on the eve of the Saarc summit, the minister dispelled the impression and said the president had said nothing new or earthshaking. He made the four-point proposal at Agra and reiterated it several times since then.

In reply to a question, the minister said the president and the prime minister had essentially said the same thing and reiterated our principled position.

“Pakistan has not given up its position on the UN Security Council resolutions. Pakistan’s claim on Kashmir is based on international legitimacy that flows from the UN resolutions,” he said.

He said the president had, however, talked about flexibility based on reciprocity. It was inconceivable for Pakistan to agree to a solution that was not based on the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. Kashmir could not be set aside or wished away. It was a dispute that India and Pakistan had to resolve, he added.

“All we are saying is that India and Pakistan should hold a dialogue on this issue on the basis of sovereign equality. We should not try to humiliate each other. History teaches us that durable peace cannot be based on humiliation of either side to a conflict,” he said.

The minister said parliament would certainly be taken into confidence whenever any initiative was necessary but the government had not taken any new initiative on Kashmir and its policy remained the same.

Mr Kasuri said the government had made certain moves to start a dialogue process with India on this issue. It was clear that the confidence-building measures, while they were definitely welcome, were not enough to bring peace to South Asia. This could only be done by starting a composite dialogue which could address all issues of concern to both Pakistan and India, he added.

About the current process of engagement between Pakistan and India, the minister said neighbours must live in peace and peace was not an event; it was a process, which had to be nurtured with political will, determination and sincerity.

“Now that we have a ceasefire along the LoC, let’s try to modulate public pronouncements. Our differences are well-known; our meeting point is not. Let’s meet and talk and sort out our differences,” he said.

Mr Kasuri said we had a responsibility to our future generations. Let’s leave for them a legacy of peace and security — not a bane of confrontation and conflict.