The conflict over the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir is only a small incident of the overall problem in Kashmir, Pakistani ambassador Touqir Hussain said Tuesday.

The real issue is the Kashmir people's right to self-determination, Hussain said during an explanatory visit to The Japan Times.

India suddenly started talk ing about infiltrators as if this is the only problem and the purpose of India sending 50,000 troops to fight between 300 and 400 infiltrators is to dramatize the situation, he said.

With 700,000 troops on the Indian-held side of the Line of Control -- a ceasefire line under the 1972 Simla Accord -- India has suppressed Kashmir's people, denying them the right to self-determination, the Pakistani ambassador said.

The fact that U.S. President Bill Clinton met with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on July 4 for three hours shows how the U.S. is seriously concerned about peace and stability in the area, he said.

Pakistan will welcome a mediation effort by a country like Japan, which has good relations with both Pakistan and India, and has no political ambition in the region, he said.