Kashmir resolution crucial to S Asia stability: Pak General

Islamabad, Jun 30 (PTI) South Asia is likely to remain
unstable as long as the Kashmir issue remains unresolved and
Pakistan must continue its efforts to find a "just" solution
to it, a top Pakistani general has said.
"As long as the Kashmir issue remains unresolved, this
region is likely to remain unstable," Joint Chiefs of Staff
Committee chairman Gen Khalid Shameem Wynne said.
"We must therefore continue to find ways and means to
find a just solution of the Kashmir dispute as it is only fair
to all the people who dwell in this region and the world at
large," he said while addressing the convocation ceremony for
courses at the National Defence University in Islamabad
on Wednesday.
The general's comments came days after the Foreign
Secretaries of India and Pakistan held discussions on the
Kashmir issue as part of two-day talks in Islamabad.
Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said the "shadow
of the gun and extremist violence" must be done away with as a
complex issue like Kashmir can only be discussed in an
atmosphere free of violence.
The two countries agreed to continue discussions on
Kashmir in order to find a peaceful solution by "narrowing
divergences and building convergences", said a joint statement
issued after the talks.
Wynne, a four-star general who is the army's second-
highest ranking officer after army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez
Kayani, said Pakistan may have to "adjust" its policies due to
the changing regional scenario.
"Recent changes announced in our neighbourhood have
geo-strategic implications," he said in an apparent reference
to US plans to begin pulling its troops out of Afghanistan
from next month.
"We have to first accurately analyse this coming
paradigm and thereafter, if required, adjust our policies to
meet the likely challenges.
"Self reliance and pre-eminence of national interests
should be our guiding principles," he said.
Wynne further said Pakistan is committed to combating
terrorism.
"As you know, we are combating wholeheartedly the
menace of extremism and terrorism prevailing in our society.
The people and the armed forces of Pakistan have taken up this
challenge and our soldiers as well as innocent civilians are
sacrificing their lives for this cause," he said.