Comment by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the Kashmir Issue

December 22, 2000

On December 20, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced that India would further extend by about a month the temporary suspension of combat operations against militants in Kashmir during the month of Ramazan which it announced on November 19. Meanwhile, the Government of Pakistan, on its part, in addition to its announcement on December 2 that the Pakistani military forces deployed along the Line of Control in Kashmir, would exercise maximum restraint, announced on December 20th that it would withdraw part of its forces deployed along the Line of Control.
The Government of Japan welcomes the series of moves since India's announcement in November as evidence of efforts to stop the violence and reduce the tension in Kashmir. The Government of Japan hopes that further efforts will be sustained by the Governments of India and Pakistan toward a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue through dialogue in accordance with the spirit of the Lahore.

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