By Intikhab Hanif

Dawn Correspondent

LAHORE, April 23: US Congressman David Bonior on Sunday opposed the moves to make India a permanent member of the UN Security Council, saying a country which had not followed the UN resolutions should not become the permanent member.

Mr. Bonior, a Democratic whip in the US Senate, was addressing a reception hosted by the Pakistani American Congress, a US-based organization of Pakistanis living there, at a local hotel. He is considered to be a friend of Pakistan and has helped Pakistani cause in difficult times.

The reception was attended by Lahore Corps Commander Lt-Gen Khalid Maqbool and a select gathering of politicians, doctors, lawyers, educationists, Pakistanis living in the US and officials of the American consulate in Lahore.

Prominent among them were Mian Muhammad Azhar, Mian Afzal Hayat, Fakhar Imam, Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri, Ejazul Haq, Ahsan Iqbal, Chaudhry Anwar Aziz, S. M. Zafar, Dr Murtaza Arain and Mr and Mrs Ra'ana Akbar.

Pakistani American Congress President Dr Riaz Ahmad introduced the US Senator who, he said, had been helping Pakistan on issues like the post-nuclear tests US sanctions and passing of the Brown Amendment.

During his three-day stay in Pakistan, Mr Bonior has met Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf and visited camps of Kashmiri refugees in Azad Kashmir. He was scheduled to leave for India on Monday and to visit the Occupied Kashmir.

Addressing the reception and replying to questions, Mr Bonior said the Security Council should be expanded, giving representation to developing nations of the South. And India should be given a chance to claim the seat only if it addressed the Kashmir issue, he said.

Mr Bonior said it was the duty of India and Pakistan to maintain peace in the region. But by recently increasing its defense budget, New Delhi wanted to escalate tension, he said.

"I have met General Musharraf who is willing to talk to anybody who wants to discuss the Kashmir issue any time," he said. He acknowledged the concern shown by a participant that President Clinton's recent visit to South Asia had given the impression that Washington was tilting towards New Delhi.

"Mr Clinton had talked to the Indian and Pakistani governments directly and strongly on the Kashmir issue which is a question of what Kashmiris want and not what New Delhi and Islamabad want. We understand the dilemma there.

"We could have done a better job by making things more clear while talking to the Pakistani nation. And it is correct that India exploited the situation after Mr Clinton's visit. But it's a mistake on its part if it fails to understand the point," Mr Bonior said. He said he will highlight the real situation on the Kashmir issue clearly and talk to Mr Clinton on the impressions being created after his visit to South Asia.

Mr Bonior said efforts should be made for an opening for a dialogue on the Kashmir issue. But at least there should be an immediate cessation of hostilities and violence against civilians by Indian troops and paramilitary forces, and shelling and shooting across the LoC.

"We need to stop violence on both sides. I will go to India with hopes that we can at least start talking on the issue," he said.

Mr Bonior said like the people in Middle East, Northern Ireland and Balkan states, Kashmiris deserved peace and justice. "Every hand was raised when on Saturday I asked the refugees in the Azad Kashmir who among them had lost a dear one in the Occupied Kashmir," he said.

Regarding US-Pakistan relations, Mr Bonior said it had been a long journey. "But now we are at a critical juncture of it as militarization, democratization and economic deprivation may confront us. I will do whatever I can to improve the relations," he said.

He hoped that the day for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan was not very far. In America, he said, the democratic experience had been a work in progress where initially the voting right was given only to the white males owning property.

"We find that democracy is not a destination but a journey whose path is uneven most of the times."

Mr Bonior said democracy in Pakistan was now a controversial issue. He said he was happy to observe that the present government was addressing the issues of human rights, honor killing, child labor, devolution of power and reduction of voters age to 18 years.

Replying to a question regarding the charge of terrorism against Pakistan, he said Islamabad had been strongly opposing terrorism. Pakistani people wanted to invest in basic education, health services and basic infrastructure and wanted to attain the status of a great nation in the world.

The US senator quoted Allama Iqbal and the Quaid-i-Azam and said a change would occur and "is occurring in Pakistan". He said he would visit the held Kashmir which, he said, is known for its beauty and sufferings of men and women struggling for justice.