MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (AFP) - President Pervez Musharraf led Pakistanis in a minute's silence to mourn the first anniversary of the South Asian earthquake, which killed 74,000 people.

Musharraf shunned his military uniform on Sunday and wore a traditional beige smock and trousers known as shalwar kameez for the memorial service in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir.

The 60 seconds of silence at 8:52 am (0352 GMT) was followed by Muslim prayers. He also laid a wreath at a monument to victims of the 7.6-magnitude temblor, which left 3.5 million people homeless.

The event in the mountain-fringed city took place under heavy security after rockets were found near Musharraf's official residence in the national capital Islamabad earlier this week.

"I praise your courage and resilience. We will always be with you. Those who died cannot be brought back, but I assure you that we will give you a better life," Musharraf told a crowd of more than 1,000 people.

"I also thank the international community and all the countries who helped us."

Musharraf said he came to Muzaffarabad the day after last year's earthquake and was "stunned to see the devastation."

"I saw grieved women, elderly people and children. Hospitals had been destroyed, all infrastructure had gone," he said.

"Today when I was coming here by helicopter, I wanted to see where destruction had occurred. I am glad that the destruction was not so much visible today, all praise to Allah.

"This all was made possible with your courage and support by armed forces, NGOs (nongovernmental organisations) and the entire world."

Musharraf also called for a resolution of the nearly 60-year-old row with neighbouring India over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir, which both countries hold in part and claim in full.

"Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan and we will inshallah (God willing) move towards a solution," he said.

In the wake of the earthquake, there were hopes that the disaster could help settle the Kashmir dispute, which has started two of the three wars that India and Pakistan have fought.

The two countries opened crossings for aid on the de facto border separating the two sides, but the initiative fizzled out and had little impact on an overall peace process launched by Islamabad and New Delhi in 2004.