ISLAMABAD, 16 January 2007 — Pakistan yesterday said its leadership discussed the issue of Kashmir at length during weekend talks with the Indian foreign minister and hoped for progress in resolving the South Asian rivals’ dispute over the Himalayan region.
Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee visited Islamabad and held talks Saturday with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and other Pakistani leaders. They announced a new round of peace talks to start in March, the latest chapter in a normalization process that began three years ago.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told reporters yesterday that the Kashmir dispute had been discussed in “great detail” during Pranab’s visit.
“We do hope that there will be some progress for the resolution of this dispute,” she said, adding that would help normalize relations between the neighbors. Tasnim said that in talks with Pranab, Pakistani leaders reiterated the country’s position on Kashmir.
“We believe that Jammu and Kashmir is still the core issue and its early resolution will be followed by complete normalization of ties between Pakistan and India.”
She said the two countries now talk with each other in a cordial and warm atmosphere and they have started trusting each other.
She said that the agreement between the two countries to hold a joint survey of Sir Creek speaks volumes of the success of the peace process. “The joint survey will continue for one month,” Tasnim said referring to the survey of the disputed estuary that began yesterday. The spokeswoman said that a NATO delegation would be visiting Pakistan shortly to sign an agreement with Islamabad concerning transit facility for NATO troops stationed in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz rejected charges that Islamabad was not doing enough to rein in Taleban militants involved in cross-border insurgency.
In an interview with CNN television on Sunday night, Aziz said Pakistan is fighting terrorism because of its conviction adding, “We are committed to fighting terrorism because it is in our national interest and we want to be part of the global coalition fighting this scourge.”
Replying to a question about the movement of people in tribal areas, the prime minister said Pakistan has over three million Afghans still living in refugee camps along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He said Pakistan wanted that these refugees should go back to their homeland.
He said border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is porous and the people do go back and forth.
The prime minister said Pakistan has increased patrolling along the border and is now considering protecting the border further by fencing, mining and other measures.
Aziz said it was absolutely incorrect that Osama Bin Laden or Ayman Al-Zawahri were in Pakistan.
