Indian, Pakistani foreign secretaries begin two-day talks

Islamabad, Mar 13 (UNI) India and Pakistan today pledged to push forward the ongoing composite dialogue process in order to promote good neighbourly relationship and resolve all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir.

This came when Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and his Pakistan counterpart Riaz Muhammad Khan launched the fourth round of composite dialogue process.

Mr Menon later called on Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri.

Mr Menon and his Pakistani counterpart led their respective delegations at the meeting, which also looked into the issues of visa liberalisation and ways to promote strategic restraint regime in nuclear and conventional fields.

While officials from both sides refused to comment on the first day of talks, it was learnt that the Indian delegation raised the issue of terrorism and asked Islamabad to do more to curb infiltration.

The meeting took place almost a week after Pakistani and Indian officials held the first meeting of their anti-terror panel in Islamabad. A joint statement issued after the talks, said the two sides agreed to exchange specific information for helping investigations on either side related to terrorist acts and preventing violence in the two countries.

''Indian and Pakistani officials will stay in touch with each other to share information and prevent future acts of terror,'' Mr Menon told reporters in Islamabad, when asked about the precise modes operandi of the mechanism.

He, however, refused to offer any comments when asked if the two sides also focused on different proposals exchanged by their countries on the Kashmir issue.

''I will answer such questions tomorrow on the conclusion of our talks,'' he said while parrying another question that if the two countries would be able to achieve any breakthrough during this round of talks on Siachen and Sir Creek.

Pakistani officials are also learnt to have underscored the need of troop reduction in Jammu and Kashmir while discussing ways to promote a solution that is acceptable to all stakeholders.

The fourth round of talks began to the backdrop of repeated statements by leadership of the two countries expressing determination to carry forward the peace process.

The two countries also reportedly exchanged a series of proposals including the four-point formula unveiled last year by President General Pervez Musharraf to find out a durable solution to the Kashmir issue.

The proposal includes demilitarisation, self-governance and joint management in Kashmir.

''It is important that Pakistan and India should now move from confidence building measures to dispute resolution,'' Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said, in Islamabad ahead of talks.

She said an early resolution of the issue would pave the way for durable peace in the region and bring about greater cooperation in South Asia.

UNI