Pakistan will continue to support Kashmiris in their struggle for independence from Indian rule, but is striving for peace in their divided Himalayan region, Pakistan's prime minister said Monday. Speaking at a ceremony marking the 59th anniversary of Pakistan's independence on Aug. 14, 1947, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz demanded that the Kashmir dispute be resolved according to the wishes of the people of the region. «The people of Kashmir are an important party to this issue. Their wishes and aspirations cannot be ignored,» Aziz said at ceremony in the capital Islamabad. «On this occasion, I want to assure Kashmiri elders, brothers and sisters that Pakistan will continue its political, diplomatic and moral support to them until they achieve their right,» he said in a speech broadcast live by state-run television. Aziz said Pakistan initiated peace talks with India with «sincerity of intention» to resolve Kashmir and other disputes in the region.
