Islamabad, Delhi pledge sincerity on Kashmir solution
President seeks tangible progress
By Our Diplomatic Correspondent

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan and India Tuesday pledged to carry forward their peace process for the resolution of all outstanding issues including Jammu and Kashmir, with a determination not to allow terrorism to impede the momentum.
Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri and his Indian counterpart K Natwar Singh addressing a joint press conference here at the conclusion of the second round of Composite Dialogue said “possible options for a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the issue of Jammu and Kashmir should be explored in a sincere, purposeful and forward-looking manner”. The two sides which on Monday inked agreements on pre-notification of missile tests and setting up of a communication link between their maritime agencies also discussed the withdrawal of troops from Siachin. “The two sides agreed to continue their discussions so as to arrive at a common understanding before commencement of the next round of the Composite Dialogue in January next year,” the Joint Statement said. Foreign Minister Kasuri said “we have exchanged ideas that create the possibility of resolution of these [Siachin and Sir Creek] issues”.
He said there was “reasonable degree of understanding of each others point of view,” however he refrained from saying more, adding it could be counter productive at this stage. “We have exchanged concrete ideas and we will continue discussions for reaching a common understanding,” Kasuri added. Under the Composite Dialogue process the two countries are discussing Peace and Security including CBMs; Jammu and Kashmir; Siachen; Wullar Barrage/Tulbal Navigation Project; Sir Creek; Terrorism and Drug Trafficking; Economic and Commercial Cooperation and Promotion of Friendly Exchanges in various fields. The Joint Statement issued at the end of their two day meeting, where they reviewed the peace process and also held a meeting of the Joint Commission after a gap of 16 years, expressed satisfaction over the Composite Dialogue process.
The Ministers held detailed and substantive discussions on the whole range of issues within the framework of the Composite Dialogue process and reaffirmed their commitment to maintain the integrity of the process. The two sides also expressed satisfaction at the revival of the Joint Commission and hoped it would contribute significantly in strengthening the mutually beneficial relations and cooperation between the two countries. They agreed to restructure and streamline the work of the Joint Commission in the light of developments that have taken place since its last meeting in 1989. “The two sides had a meaningful and constructive exchange of ideas on restructuring the Joint Commission and subjects to be considered under its purview,” the statement said.
The understanding reached would form the guidelines for the future work plan for the Joint Commission, the statement added. It was also agreed that the next meeting of the Joint Commission will be preceded by technical level working groups on Agriculture, Health, Science and Technology, Information, Education, I.T. and Telecommunication, Environment and Tourism. During the talks on Sir Creek issue the two sides took into account the joint survey of the horizontal section of the boundary in the area. “Without prejudice to each other’s position, they agreed to undertake a similar joint survey of the Sir Creek itself, and to consider options for the delimitation of their maritime boundary,” the statement said.
They agreed that the joint survey should commence before the end of the year and its report will be considered in the next round of the Composite Dialogue. Ideas relating to the delimitation of the maritime boundary would also be addressed in the Composite Dialogue with a view to its early resolution. Referring to Sir Creek, Khurshid Kasuri said the two sides have agreed for the first time to consider options for the delimitation of the maritime boundary between the two countries and to undertake joint survey of Sir Creek. “This should enable us to work for the resolution of this issue in a concrete manner,” he added.
Foreign Minister Kasuri said the two countries discussed at length the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. He called for the need to have a mature outlook to be able to manage their disputes while trying to resolve them. “We should be and are engaged in a process of conflict management and conflict resolution,” he added. The Indian External Affairs Minister when asked about Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Pakistan without giving any time frame said “it would be sooner rather than later”. About the future of Jinnah House, he said the Indian government was not making any structural changes, but was only renovating the place. He said his government was fully aware of emotions and the sentiments of the people of Pakistan over the building.
When asked whether the third round would move beyond discussions towards the resolution of the Kashmir dispute, the Indian External Affairs Minister said the position of both the countries was well known. However he said “the atmospherics in which these talks are being held, is important. We should not underestimate its impact”. Natwar Singh said there was not a single issue which the two sides had not touched. “We consider all issues of great importance and I don’t want to prioritize issues, and these are all quite well defined in the statement issued on 6th of January 2004, jointly reflecting the views of President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohahan Singh”. He said “We consider all issues of great importance, I don’t want to prioritize these issues, but these are all quite well defined”. The two foreign secretaries also reiterated their commitment to the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project saying it would contribute significantly to the prosperity and development of their countries.
Endorsing the recommendations by their Foreign Secretaries they agreed to hold Expert level meetings by end of year to finalize modalities for the meeting points of the divided families across the LoC and to initiate a truck service between Muzaffarabad-Srinagar route. They welcomed the agreement to operationalize the Lahore-Amritsar bus service in November and agreed that a meeting of experts be held in Islamabad on October 25-26 to start the Nankana Sahib-Amritsar bus service at an early date. They decided on a meeting at the technical level would — before end of the year to discuss arrangements for operationalizing the Rawalakot-Poonch bus service at the earliest possible. The two foreign ministers also welcomed the release of prisoners and fishermen by both the countries.
They agreed that the understanding reached between the Interior Secretaries on exchange of prisoners and fishermen be implemented in letter and spirit, including immediate notification of arrests by either side, consular access to all persons within three months of arrest, release of prisoners on completion of sentence and verification of national status, and early release of inadvertent crossers across the LoC. India also handed over a draft of an agreement on consular access. The Indian side also presented drafts proposing amendments to the existing agreements on visa, visits to religious shrines and new proposals for a Cultural Exchange Programme, under the Composite Dialogue framework. External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh invited Foreign Minister Kasuri to visit India, who accepted the invitation whose dates would be finalized through diplomatic channels.