LONDON, Feb 26: UK High Commissioner to Islamabad Mark Loyall Grant said Wednesday the initiative to begin dialogue to sort out differences including the Kashmir issue came from Pakistan and India and is not an outcome of the international pressure.

"There is a no question that the initiative for the talks came from the two countries themselves, not from the outside," he told a press briefing at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office here on Thursday.

Mr Grant holidaying here said that "the key role" was played by Pakistan and Indian governments and that was what it should be. "The international community, particularly the UK and the US, can play a helpful role from the sidelines, but it has to be from the sidelines.

Britain bear 'some responsibility' for the origin of the Kashmir crisis," he said. Clearly it was very concerned and wanted to remain involved and be helpful for peace in the South Asia.

He said Britain had made it very clear from the start that if the two countries wanted it to do "anything that we can do to help support whether politically, financially", it was prepared to do in encouraging an agreement over Kashmir.

Mr Grant refused to speculate on the end result of the peace process and said it would take some time. Replying to a question, he said, the aspirations of the Kashmiri people should be taken into account, but it has to be decided by Pakistan and India how that had to be done. -APP