May 13, 2003	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 10, 1424

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ISLAMABAD May 12. Pakistan will not agree to “freeze” the Kashmir issue in preference to economic and commercial relations in any possible future talks on normalization of relations with India.

This was stated by Foreign Office spokesman Aziz Ahmad Khan during his weekly briefing on Monday when he stressed that that talks with India would be composite where all contentious issues, topped by Jammu and Kashmir as the core issue, would be taken up together by both sides. He explained that a step-by-step approach to the expected talks implied that the issues would be discussed at various tiers by officials.

Mr Khan refuted suggestions that Islamabad might “freeze” the Kashmir issue and instead take up economic and commercial relations first to revive bilateral relations with India. For Islamabad, he said, the Kashmir dispute remained as the core issue, adding that the Kashmir issue “has to be resolved by the people of Kashmir principally in accordance with their wishes and that is the whole core point of the Kashmir dispute”.

The spokesman said that President Pervez Musharraf’s projected official visit to Washington at the invitation of President George W. Bush early next month would lead to a comprehensive dialogue between the two leaders without any fixed agenda. He indicated the talks would obviously include bilateral relations, relations between Islamabad and New Delhi, the fight against terrorism, and the regional scenario.

When asked about various news reports concerning a new Pakistani high commissioner in New Delhi, Mr Khan said there had been no decision yet though the matter was under consideration. He urged the media to avoid indulging in “kite-flying”. Basant was long over, but apparently kite flying was being indulged in with enthusiasm, he light-heartedly observed. He said the Foreign Office would announce the name of the high commissioner as soon as it was decided.

Mr Khan said Pakistan was waiting for “a signal” from New Delhi for a dialogue to start and Islamabad was all set for a resumption of talks after a lapse of 17 months. He hoped that the talks would start very soon.

Replying to a question, the spokesman said Pakistan as a responsible state had an impeccable nuclear command and control structure and could not be accused of nuclear proliferation. He recalled that it were Indian nuclear test explosions in May 1998 which forced Pakistan to go nuclear and acquire a nuclear deterrence for its defence.

He said India’s ambitious missile programme was very well-known and added that the series of missile tests in recent past demonstrated its efforts to keep augmenting its ambitious missile programme.