ISLAMABAD, March 30: Former senior bureaucrats, retired generals and intellectuals from India and Pakistan will meet in New Delhi in September to discuss various proposals for resolving the Kashmir issue.
People pursuing the Track-II diplomacy have developed a fairly good understanding and approach to work out an acceptable solution "for which we enjoy the support and blessings of our respective governments," according to foreign affairs secretary Niaz A. Naik.
He told Dawn on Tuesday that the resumption of dialogue at the unofficial level was a step forward in Pakistan-India relationship and the two countries were now trying to work out details to make it a success.
He said the Track-II diplomacy had started yielding results by creating a congenial atmosphere for resolving the Kashmir dispute. Mr Naik said that former Indian foreign secretary Mr Rasgotra would head the Indian side while he (Naik) would head the Pakistani delegation at the talks to try to resolve all contentious issues through quiet diplomacy.
He said the Kashmir issue was likely to be discussed at the secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan, scheduled to be held in May-June 2004. The Track-II diplomacy, he said, was contributing to efforts being made to work out a plausible solution.
"We don't have direct access to ongoing official talks but we received a very encouraging response when Track-II officials of both sides met the senior Pakistani authorities in January this year," Mr Naik said.
He said that when issues like removing trade barriers and easing visa restrictions were being discussed, it was high time for the two countries to come to terms on Kashmir as well.
"It would be premature to say as to which solution could be acceptable to both sides but I can say confidently that Indian and Pakistani authorities have succeeded to some extent to address this major issue once and for all," he said.
