Kasuri briefs Kashmiri leaders on peace process

Islamabad, Nov 21: Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri today briefed Kashmiri leaders on the ongoing peace process with India and various options being discussed to resolve the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

Attended by sixty leaders from Pakistan-administered Kashmir including President Raja Zulqarnain Haider, Prime Minister Sardar Attique, chief of the pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), President of the Pakistan chapter of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Syed Yousaf Nasim, the meeting reviewed the progress achieved during the New Delhi round of Pakistan-India foreign secretary level talks.

Most of the leaders asked the Pakistani government to ensure participation of Kashmiris in the ongoing dialogue process, which was resumed after being suspended for three months in the wake of the July 11 Mumbai serial bombings.

However, the two countries agreed to resume the process during a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf at Havana last September.

Mr Kasuri, who is scheduled to meet his Indian counterpart Mr Pranab Mukherjee at a working lunch during his private visit to India this week, assured that Pakistan would not agree to a solution that does not represent aspirations of Kashmiris.

He also apprised Kashmiri leaders of the progress achieved so far in the composite dialogue and Pakistan's preparations for the foreign ministerial level meeting between the two countries in January followed by the commencement of the third cycle of the talks.

The ongoing efforts aimed to build mutual trust with especial reference to various proposals being discussed by the two neighbours to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir issue also figured at the talks.

President General Pervez Musharraf has often proposed self governance and joint management in the Kashmir region as options for the settlement of the issue.

However, India rejects any redrawing of the map in Kashmir.

UNI

Related Stories

In Focus: Kashmir Burning