Islamabad, March 31
President Pervez Musharraf has warned that the progress of the ongoing dialogue between India and Pakistan will be hampered if the Kashmir issue is not addressed satisfactorily.
He said the resolution of the Kashmir dispute was of paramount interest to Islamabad than all confidence-building measures being introduced by both sides for the sake of peace.
The News and the Daily Times quoted him as saying that he would be the last man to allow a sellout on Kashmir as it remained the core issue between Pakistan and India.
He said confidence-building measures alone were not enough, adding that they should be matched by real progress in the dialogue process.
General Musharraf warned India that Pakistan would shelve the dialogue process if Kashmir was not included in the agenda for foreign ministers’-level talks by July or August this year.
“We have committed ourselves to bringing peace to the region and so we want talks but not at the cost of Kashmir. If Kashmir is not included in the talks’ agenda by July or August, there will be no need for the dialogue process,” he was quoted as saying in an interview to a private TV channel.
Rejecting the charge of cross-border terrorism, he reiterated that the struggle of the Kashmiris was indigenous, and Pakistan would not hesitate to provide moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris.
Asked to comment on flexibility on the Kashmir issue, he said both the parties would have to change their mindset to arrive at a solution acceptable to all three parties to the dispute.
New Delhi: Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and India would hold talks on Kashmir and for putting a series of nuclear-related confidence-building measures in place when they meet in June, said Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Aziz Ahmad Khan.
Speaking at the Asian Institute of Transport Development here, he was quoted by The News as saying that the technical-level discussion between the two countries on six other issues — Siachen, Wullar Barrage, terrorism and drug trafficking, Sir Creek and friendly exchange and economic cooperation would take place in July.
“This will be followed by a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries in August this year to review the progress of the composite dialogue,” he added.
“We all have a lot to learn from each other. India is recognised as the software superpower while Pakistan has its own edge in the textile sector. We also can share experience in agriculture and medical fields,” Aziz said.
“We can bring both peace and prosperity to our teeming millions and start a new era of peace, amity and harmony in the region. We are happy that the two governments and cricket boards were able to overcome the web of uncertainty and make this scintillating cricket bonanza possible for the passionate cricket fans of Pakistan and India,” he concluded. —
ANI
