"The elected government in Islamabad is committed to the cause of the Kashmiri people --- we believe that the South Asian region cannot have lasting peace untill and unless this decades-old issue is resolved," the former chief minister of Punjab said.
Wattoo was speaking to the media at an Iftar reception hosted by Pakistan's ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani and Member National Assembly Farahnaz Ispahani at the Pakistani embassy.
Pakistan believes that trilateral talks engaging Pakistan, India and the Kashmiri leadership should find a solution to the dispute, he said.
The politician did not see any change in Washington's perception of the Kashmir dispute, citing President Barack Obama's clear-cut emphasis on a resolution of the longstanding issue during his visit to New Delhi last year.
The Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers are discussing the issue in line with recognition of the importance of the issue by prime ministers of both countries, he noted.
Later, addressing the gathering of Pakistani-Americans at the Iftar dinner, Wattoo said the democratic government in Islamabad is focused on dealing with challenges facing the country. He particularly highlighted the initiatives being taken to meet growing energy requirements like building new dams, raising the level of existing dams and exploitation of Thar coal reserves. These steps, he said, would spur power generation in the country.
Mian Manzoor Wattoo said the coalition government has performed remarkably well on many fronts in the last few years and praised President Asif Ali Zardari's political acumen in steering the parliamentary democratic process forward. He said under the current government, the 1973 constitution has been restored to its original spirit as it has been purged of undemocratic amendments. He also counted devolution of powers to provinces and award of national finance commission as landmark achievements of the democratic government.
Earlier, Ambassador Husain Haqqani welcomed the visiting minister as he noted the critical importance of political system and continuity of democratic process to long-term progress and sustainable development of the country.
Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011