Hiranagar: Expressing apprehension that solution to Kashmir issue would be deferred by a couple of years in view of a new situation set to emerge in Pakistan after general elections, opposition party in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference (NC) on Wednesday said that India and the neighbouring country, Pakistan, have lost yet another good opportunity to resolve the issue.

"India and Pakistan have lost yet another good opportunity to resolve the Kashmir issue by not changing their stated positions and getting influenced by the mindsets prevailing in the two countries about Kashmir," NC president, Omar Abdullah said at a public meeting in the city.

"Now with the situation that is emerging in Pakistan and the general elections in India ahead, it is most likely that the solution to the Kashmir issue will get deferred by couple of years," said, Abdullah, who is on a whirl-wind state-wide tour to gear up the party cadres for the forthcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir this year.

Abdullah had earlier told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that if the Kashmir issue is not resolved by the mid of 2007, then we will loose a golden opportunity because the situation in both countries would change.

Former state External Affairs Minister, Abdullah, expressed that a statesmanly approach both on the part of Indian and Pakistani leadership and stable internal situation in both the countries is essential for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. (PTI)