SRINAGAR, April 29: Kashmiri people on Tuesday welcomed an ice-breaking telephone call from Pakistan’s prime minister to his Indian counterpart, saying it could prove to be a turning point in the region.

Pakistan’s Zafarullah Khan Jamali called Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Monday to thank him for his offer earlier this month of talks, invited him to Pakistan, and said he was willing to visit India.

“The call by Mr Jamali can prove to be a turning point in the history of the sub-continent and Kashmir,” said Shabir Shah, who heads the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP).

“Both the countries should sit together and try to resolve all the issues, including Kashmir,” said Mr Shah, who has spent more than 20 years in different prisons for espousing Kashmir’s secession from India.

But he said that before sitting across the table, both the sides should do their homework.

Javed Mir, the vice-chairman of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front urged the countries to start “immediate negotiations to resolve pending issues.”—AFP