Home »Top Stories » Pakistan and India resume peace talks

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  • Nov 15th, 2006
  • Comments Off on Pakistan and India resume peace talks
Pakistan and India on Tuesday discussed Kashmir, peace and security, trade, CBMs, counter-terrorism efforts and prisoner problem on the first day of Foreign Secretary level talks. The talks were held in a very positive atmosphere, Foreign Office spokesperson and Director General (UN) Tasnim Aslam told APP Special Correspondent here after Tuesday's session of the parleys.

Pakistan's delegation was led by Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Than, while Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon led the Indian side. Both sides agreed to streamline the procedure so that the prisoners who have completed their sentences should go back to their country of origin as early as possible, Tasnim said.

The two sides also agreed on a system for prisoners held for minor infringements so that they could be released without prolonging their sufferings and miseries, she added. On Jammu and Kashmir, the spokesperson said the two sides discussed the overall issues and specific CBMs related to Jammu and Kashmir.

They reviewed CBMs already in place and agreed to make them more efficient and also reviewed various proposals that were on the table and no decision has yet been taken, she said. She said that on peace and security the Foreign Secretaries welcomed the progress so far achieved on various understandings and agreements and also reviewed proposals and CBMs, which had been agreed but still needed to be implemented.

There was a discussion on terrorism--the problem which affects all countries in the region, she said, adding that the discussion was specifically with reference to the meeting of the two leaders--Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Havana where it was agreed, among other things, to put in place some kind of mechanism for exchange of information and co-operation against terrorism.

On Kashmir, again, the spokesperson said the two sides referred the Havana Statement, which the two leaders undertook to reduce divergences and build on convergence's.

In the context of counter-terrorism, the two sides agreed that this mechanism, when agreed upon and put in place, would provide a useful two-way channel through which the two sides could pass on information when each other's assistance would be needed and when they might have complaints against each other.

The spokesperson said the session would resume on Wednesday when the remaining issues of the Indo-Pak composite dialogue would be taken up for review. Later in the day, Pakistan delegation called on External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Pakistan's High Commissioner to India, Aziz Ahmad Khan, High Commissioner-designate to India Shahid Malik, Additional Secretary (UN&EC) Tariq Osman Hyder, Additional Secretary (AP) Akhtar Tufail and Director General (South Asia) Jalil Abbas Jilani were also present on the occasion.

Copyright Associated Press of Pakistan, 2006


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