NEW DELHI: The Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan, Shyam Saran and Riaz Muhammad Khan, on Wednesday agreed to continue the "sustained dialogue" on Jammu and Kashmir in a "purposeful and forward-looking manner" to find a "peaceful and negotiated settlement."

A joint statement issued after the inaugural session of the third round of the composite dialogue said the two sides had a detailed exchange of views on Kashmir, but did not give any details.

"They reiterated their commitment to start a bus service between Poonch and Rawalakot and a truck service on [the] Muzaffarabad-Srinagar route for trade in permitted goods as soon as the infrastructure damaged during the October 2005 earthquake is restored," it said.

While the joint statement contained no reference to terrorism, Mr. Saran said at a press conference that India wanted Pakistan to do more to tackle terrorist activities directed at it.

At a separate briefing, Mr. Khan said Pakistan would not allow any part of its territory to be used for terrorist activities directed at any country. At the same time, he defended the actions of religious groups in the wake of the October 8 earthquake, pointing out that "jehad" in the region had a history of 25 years — with the "whole world" supporting Islamist militancy in Afghanistan.

Both sides agreed that experts would continue discussions on reducing the risk of nuclear accidents or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons and conclude an agreement on prevention of incidents at sea. They also exchanged suggested modalities for monthly flag meetings between local commanders.

The Foreign Secretaries reaffirmed their commitment to move the peace process forward in a "meaningful way" in the third round.

Islamabad was not talking about redrawing boundaries in Jammu & Kashmir, but wanted a solution that would be acceptable to both sides, Mr. Khan told presspersons.

Mr. Khan, who leaves New Delhi for Washington, also called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Pakistani official was clear that the two sides must not just learn to live with problems (an indirect reference to Kashmir), but solve their problems as well.

The Prime Minister told the Pakistani Foreign Secretary that India wanted "permanent friendship" with Pakistan and said he was keen to visit Islamabad. Dr. Singh said he wanted the visit to be a substantive one.

While Pakistan did not make any formal proposals for self-governance, the ideas put forward by President Pervez Musharraf on self-governance and demilitarisation were reiterated during the discussion on Kashmir.

Asked about Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran's comment that confidence-building measures were part of the "final settlement" on Kashmir, Mr. Khan said: "That's a point of view."

At an earlier press conference, Mr. Saran had said that these CBMs, in the Indian view, were integral to a Kashmir solution. There were no "compartments" here, the Indian official argued.

According to him, if relations between India and Pakistan improved and there was an end to violence, then India would favour not just the demilitarisation of three Kashmiri towns, but the thinning of troops along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) as well

Political limitations

Pointing out that there were political limitations on how far India could go on Kashmir, the Foreign Secretary referred to Dr. Singh's remarks that New Delhi could consider a range of steps short of redrawing boundaries such as the free flow of people and goods across the LoC.

According to him, India viewed the resolution of the Kashmir issue as part and parcel of developing friendly relations with Pakistan. As part of promoting people-to-people contacts, India hoped that the Poonch-Rawalakot bus service could begin by March-April this year. New Delhi had also proposed a Kargil-Skardu bus service by an early date.

Mr. Saran was hopeful that the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, suspended due to the damage suffered by the Aman Setu on account of the October 8 earthquake, would become operational by March this year.

The Foreign Secretary said the two sides also favoured the "operationalistion" of two of the five meeting points agreed upon by India and Pakistan after the earthquake. Technical-level talks would be held to discuss, among other things, creating enclosures on either side of the LoC to allow people to meet each other.

Cross-border terror

On the key issue of terrorism, Mr. Saran stated that India had conveyed in a friendly, but firm, manner that the dialogue process could only move forward in an atmosphere free of terrorism and violence.

"There is no end to cross-border terrorism despite assurances at the highest level [from Pakistan]," he said. Referring to the recent attacks in New Delhi and Bangalore, he said the issue of ending terrorism had to be addressed.

His comments on terrorism, he said, were being made in a spirit of friendship.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail