ISLAMABAD, Nov 18: Pakistan expressed the hope on Thursday that the process of troop withdrawal from Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) would continue and it would ultimately lead to universal respect of rights of the Kashmiri people and facilitate the on-going dialogue process.

"Indian decision to reduce troops is a positive development and a good beginning...we hope that the trend will continue and India would withdraw bulk of its forces from the IHK," Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan told a weekly press briefing.

Mr Khan said Pakistan saw the move in the backdrop of the New York meeting between President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which took a momentous decision to explore all possible options on Kashmir.

He said India had over 700,000 troops in occupied Kashmir and additional divisions had been later inducted. He observed that if the withdrawal was minimal, it would have no impact on the situation.

Commenting on recent statement of Prime Minister Singh during his visit to Indian-held Kashmir, Mr Khan welcomed his statement on peace in the region and said: "India would find Pakistan very cooperative to realize this dream".

Similarly, he said, India would find Pakistan fully reciprocating to the continuation of purposeful dialogue on all outstanding issues between the two countries including Kashmir.

The spokesman, however, rejected oft-repeated allegations of "cross-border infiltration" saying, the real issue in occupied valley was the protection of human rights of the Kashmiri people.

He hoped that the atmosphere of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) that permeated the dialogue process would also move to Srinagar to make the Kashmiri people part of this collective experience.

To a question, the spokesman said, Pakistan was desirous of sustaining the engagement with India. "This quest for peace must succeed...Kashmiris must see the day, when their aspirations see the reality," he added.

To a question about Mr Singh's statement that there would be no re-drawing of maps, he said: "It is not a closed question."

He referred to bilateral meetings between the leadership of the two countries in the past. He said President Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in their meeting at New York agreed to explore all possible options.

Mr Khan said it indicated that "we have to move beyond our stated positions." He said the leadership of the two countries was looking for political space "where we can make progress". The efforts were to explore new avenues within broad parameters, and within the stated positions, he added.

In reply to a question about Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz's coming visit to India, the spokesman said the prime Minister, besides discussing Saarc-related matters, would discuss with his counterpart all issues, including the CBMs and the ongoing dialogue process.

He said President Musharraf did not make any proposal and in fact invited media to initiate a debate on the issue of Kashmir to look for possible options. However, he said, there was no change in Pakistan's principled stand on Kashmir.

On the construction of Baglihar dam, the spokesman said both countries had their own positions and the preference was to try to resolve this issue bilaterally.

In reply to a question, the spokesman said that in principle, Pakistan favoured an enhanced interaction between the Kashmiri leaders of both sides.

He said APHC leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had also expressed his desire to visit Pakistan to share views on Kashmir. "We encourage this process."

PROTEST: In reply to a question about attack on Pakistan's consulate in northern Afghanistan, the spokesman said Islamabad had asked Kabul to ensure adequate protection of its mission and diplomatic personnel in Afghanistan.