Pakistan to seek mutual troop reduction: 'Specific proposals for more CBMs'
By Qudssia Akhlaque
ISLAMABAD, June 25: At the first round of crucial foreign secretary-level talks with India on Sunday Pakistan will make specific proposals for more confidence building measures (CBMs) between the two nuclear-armed neighbours
, including mutual troops reduction, it is learnt.
"We will be carrying certain proposals for nuclear and conventional CBMs, including troop reduction," informed sources told Dawn on Friday.
On the issue of Jammu and Kashmir that tops the talks agenda Pakistan will raise the matter of involving Kashmiris in the dialogue process and questions related to holding of plebiscite and the commitments made by India and Pakistan on Kashmir, the sources said.
"Pakistan will highlight the human rights aspect and, in this context, call for an end of the draconian laws," they said.
It is learnt that Pakistan will also ask India to give new dates for the twice-postponed technical-level talks on Srinagar-Muzzafarabad bus service, a proposal made by the Indian side last year.
Indications from India too are that some Kashmir-related CBMs such as reduction of forces and release of prisoners are on the cards.
Diplomatic sources said the peace and security discussions would cover the balance between nuclear capabilities and conventional capabilities, peaceful resolution of conflicts, non-use of force, ground border rules, military exercises, violation of each other's airspace.
"Some aspects of the 1999 Lahore MoU on nuclear CBMs, including an agreement on pre-notification of flight-testing of missiles are expected to be formalized during the talks to make them operational," sources said.
Other issues of concern to Pakistan that are likely to be taken up during the talks include fencing by the Indian authorities along the Line of Control and the Baglihar Dam project being constructed on the river Chenab in the Occupied Kashmir.
Also, following a verbal agreement between the foreign ministers of the two countries in China on re-opening of their respective consulates in Karachi and Mumbai the Pakistani side is likely to remind India of its decades-old pledge of handing over the Jinnah House in Mumbai, the one-time residence of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, to the Pakistan government.
Ahead of the much-awaited secretary-level dialogue between Pakistan and India, there has been encouraging interaction between the two countries at the official and political levels that lend hope to the upcoming talks.
There has been a positive outcome of the expert-level talks on nuclear CBMs in New Delhi last week, foreign ministers of the two countries held talks on the sidelines of the Asian conference in China and India's National Security Adviser J. N. Dixit and his Pakistani counterpart Tariq Aziz met in Amritsar recently.
President Musharraf has been saying that both sides have to move beyond the stated positions for a durable resolution of the Kashmir dispute. At a meeting with representatives of foreign policy related institutions on Wednesday President Musharraf underlined "sincerity, flexibility and boldness" as the three most important elements that ought to guide the secretary-level dialogue.
