PESHAWAR, April 12: The Indian high commissioner to Pakistan, Shiv Shankar Menon, has said that technical-level talks on the proposed Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service will be held soon and denied that the parleys were delayed because of the forthcoming Indian elections.
"The elections in India didn't have anything do with the postponement of talks," said Mr Menon when approached by Dawn following his meeting with members of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Monday.
He said every political party in India was in favour of peace talks. Therefore, he maintained, elections did not form the reasons for the delay in talks. Media reports in this regards are mere speculations, he said.
"I will need to consult (the authorities in Delhi) before answering the question," said Mr Menon when asked about the possible reasons for delaying the negotiations that were scheduled for April 8-9.
Talking to the SCCI members earlier, the high commissioner hinted at the commencement of the composite dialogue in July. "In July we would be having different working groups to hold negotiations in line with the joint statement issued in Islamabad," he said.
Mr Menon asked the business communities of the two countries to submit their recommendations to their governments so that the working group on trade could hold meaningful negotiations on strengthening relations mutually beneficial to both sides.
The commerce secretaries of the two countries would head their teams at the working group's talks, he said. "Before we come to the negotiating table, we should have an idea of what we [both sides] need. Therefore, businessmen should formulate their recommendations and submit these to their respective governments."
In his brief address to the SCCI members, the Indian high commissioner foresaw lasting peace between the two countries. "We [the two countries] are in transition to a better future as hostility of 10 years has not helped us," he said.
Mr Menon reiterated his government's resolve that negotiations on Kashmir would be to the satisfaction of both sides. "The way forward for us is through true peace," he emphasized.
He pointed out that the peace process was heading in the right direction and added that the cricket fans who visited Pakistan had become Pakistan's ambassadors in India. He stressed on strengthening the people-to-people contact through which business could go on between the two sides.
APP adds: Mr Menon said a separate desk was being set up at the Indian high commission for traders and business community to facilitate the issue of visas to them within two weeks.
He invited the SCCI members to visit India and explore markets for their products there and appreciated the proposal floated by the chamber regarding the establishment of ware houses by the Indian business community.
