ISLAMABAD, 19 February 2004 — Pakistan and India agreed yesterday on an aggressive road map for peace talks both sides hope will put their bloodstained history behind them, setting up a series of high-level meetings on flashpoint issues like Kashmir, terrorism and nuclear weapons. The dialogue will culminate with a summit in August between the two nations’ foreign ministers.
“We do have a basic road map for a Pakistan-India peace process to which we have both agreed,” Pakistani Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar told a press conference at the conclusion of the talks. “We hope that this road map will eventually lead to the settlement of all outstanding disputes between India and Pakistan and in the direction of durable peace.”
A series of midlevel meetings will begin directly after the Indian elections in April, including a discussion in May on nuclear confidence-building measures, and another in June to discuss ways to combat drug trafficking and smuggling.
