Pakistan says Kashmir core issue

Islamabad, June 12 (UNI) Terming Kashmir as the ''core issue'' between New Delhi and Islamabad, Pakistan today said it was at ''the heart of tensions between the two countries''.

''Kashmir as the core dispute has implications for the political environment of the region, implications for Pakistan-India relations because it relates to the fundamental rights of Kashmiris,'' Foreign office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam told a weekly press briefing here.

She was commenting on a recent statement by former Indian External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha who said ''calling Kashmir a 'core dispute' would hamper progress on other problems and none of the statement issued after talks between the two countries termed Kashmir as the ''core issue''.

The spokesperson said there was a clear mention that there has to be a final settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir issue both in Shimla and Tashkent agreements.

She said Pakistan has already proposed ideas of self-governance, demilitarisation and joint management while India also made some proposals and Pakistan has responded to them.

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