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| 12 October 2004 | Tuesday | 26 Shaban 1425 |
FO says no U-turn on Kashmir: Efforts on for engineers' recovery
ISLAMABAD, Oct 11: Pakistan on Monday reiterated that no conditions were being stipulated by either Islamabad or New Delhi for continuing the dialogue on contentious issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute
, and affirmed that the government remained committed to its 57-year-old Kashmir policy.
Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan said at his weekly press briefing that Pakistan had been maintaining a 'flexible and positive' policy for the past 57 years. He said there had been no U-turn in the policy on Kashmir or any other vital issue to be resolved with India.
If there would be any shift in the policy, it would be for the resolution of the Kashmir issue, he said. The spokesman was confident that the ongoing dialogue had retained momentum and hoped that it would meet with success. He urged Indian leaders to avoid making statements which tended to be against the conducive atmosphere needed for negotiations.
Referring to proposed talks between foreign secretaries and seven committees of the two countries, he said dates for the meetings would be finalized soon with some mutual adjustments before the beginning of the second round of dialogue next month.
He said Pakistan and India were in consultations with each other to resume negotiations on the Siachen issue which were likely to be held in December. In reply to questions about the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers in South Waziristan last week, Mr Masood Khan said it was a sensitive matter and added that efforts and negotiations with their tribal captors for their safe recovery were in a 'delicate' stage.
He agreed with a suggestion that the kidnapping might have a deep impact on the situation in the region. However, he affirmed that the unfortunate incident had not eroded the confidence of the two states in each other.
He said both China and Pakistan understood the situation. He expressed strong hopes that the problem would be resolved soon with the safe release of hostages by the tribesmen.
The spokesman told a questioner that she always seemed to regard Pakistan government's discussions on nuclear non-proliferation with visiting leaders as a sign of pressure on the nation which, he emphasized, was a misplaced notion.
He stressed that such discussions by the world leaders with Pakistani leaders made a lot of sense since the country was a nuclear-armed state and non-proliferation was an important live issue.
Mr Masood Khan described German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's recent visit to Pakistan and discussions with the government leaders as very cordial and successful. He said it was expected that the talks would stimulate Pakistan's economic, commercial and political relations with Germany and other important members of the European Union.
He said Pakistan was pleased with the electoral process in Afghanistan held last week in a fair and transparent manner and free from any major militant activity. Pakistan, he said, maintained impartiality in the Afghan electoral process and made no effort to influence its outcome.
He pointed out that contrary to apprehensions of cross-border militant activity emanating from the Pakistani side of the frontier to disrupt the Afghan polls, Kabul witnessed such peaceful and fair elections which could be favourably compared with national polls in Pakistan, India or any other democratic nation in the region.
He said Pakistan was fighting the menace of terrorism and cooperating with the United States and other allies on the issue in its own national interest.
APP adds: Responding to a statement which the prime minister of New Zealand reportedly made during his visit to India about Kashmir being a nuclear flash point, the spokesman said both Pakistan and India were nuclear powers and it was, therefore, necessary and urgent for them to resolve the issue through dialogue.
Answering a question, he said there were only logistical problems in the reopening of Indian and Pakistani consulates in Karachi and Mumbai. He hoped that the consulates would be opened soon.
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