Pak receives Indian proposals in CD process

Islamabad, Dec 18: Pakistan today said it had received a set of proposals made by India as part of the ongoing composite dialogue process, which is aimed at resolving all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir.

''There have been some proposals from India and we have been responding to them,'' Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam told mediapersons here today.

However, she did not disclose the number and nature of proposals but added that ideas and proposals had been shared at every level between the two countries.

She maintained that Kashmir issue came up for discussion whenever Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries of the two countries met.

''We also have back channels, which keep on discussing Kashmir,'' Ms Aslam added.

A renewed debate on what Pakistan calls an out-of-the-box solution to the Jammu and Kashmir issue triggered after Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf suggested a four-point formula.

His formula included demilitarisation, self-governance and joint management in the Himalayan region.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also welcomed the formula on Saturday, saying ''We welcome efforts by whosoever talks about normalising relations between India and Pakistan.'' When asked to comment on Prime Minister Singh's remarks, the spokeswoman described them as positive.

Ms Aslam pointed out that President Musharraf had repeatedly emphasised flexibility on part of both the countries to find a settlement of the Kashmir issue that was acceptable to Pakistan, India and the Kashmiris.

Observers believe that there will be further discussions on President Musharraf proposals during Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Pakistan next month.

Ms Aslam also confirmed that the two Foreign Ministers would hold a review meeting to look into the progress made during the third round of the peace talks.

Pakistan and India, which resumed the peace process in February 2004, have so far held three rounds of talks, which focused on outstanding issues including Kashmir and peace and security.

The talks, however, remained suspended for almost three months following serial bomb blasts in Mumbai on July 11.

But during their meeting on the sidelines of the NAM Summit at Havana, Prime Minister Singh and President Musharraf decided to resume the composite dialogue.

UNI