NEW DELHI, 8 January 2004 — India and Pakistan yesterday worked out details of a breakthrough agreement on peace talks, even as the accord met resistance from militants battling for control in Kashmir — a central point of dispute between the nuclear-armed rivals.
Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee announced the surprise agreement on talks Tuesday at the close of a regional summit. In a joint declaration read separately by the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers, Musharraf pledged not to let his country to be used as a haven for terrorism, and Vajpayee promised to seek a solution to the dispute over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir.
Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan said that the level of diplomats who will carry out the initial round of the talks, and their venue, are still being worked out.
A high-ranking Indian official said on condition of anonymity that the talks would revolve around eight points, including Kashmir and two other territorial spats, as well as terrorism, trade and confidence-building measures.
In New Delhi, the Indian Cabinet congratulated Vajpayee and expressed hope for a successful outcome to the peace efforts. Vajpayee held a Cabinet-level meeting with national security and foreign affairs officials to go over security scenarios as the talks unfold.
India expects a surge in violence from militants. Based on radio intercepts, intelligence officials believe they are waiting for an opportunity to strike, possibly around India’s Republic Day celebrations Jan. 26.
“We are expecting an increase in militant activity. They want to get noticed,” said K. Srinivasan, a senior Indian security intelligence official in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir.
The peace initiative comes two years after the long-hostile neighbors went to the brink of war.
Many in the region saw room for optimism about peace prospects between the countries, which have fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947. “The understanding between the two countries has restored peace in the region,” Nepalese Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, who attended the South Asian summit where the deal was reached, told reporters in Katmandu.
Congratulations poured in from US Secretary of State Colin Powell, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and the European Union.
A former Pakistani foreign secretary, Najmuddin Shaikh, noted that the new agreement comes as the countries have steadily thawed their relations since April.
— Additional input from agencies
