04 December 2004	Saturday	21 Shawwal 1425

LARKANA, Dec 3: Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Shivshankar Menon has said that talks between India and Pakistan can be held at any level to resolve the Kashmir issue.

He was talking to newsmen at the Circuit House here on Friday night. In reply to a question about the possibility of mediation for resolving the Kashmir dispute, he said when the two countries were holding dialogue, there was no need for any third party.

The Indian high commissioner said India had completed work on the railway track to Monabao and Pakistan would complete its work on the Khokhrapar route. Pakistan and India, he said, had agreed in principle to initially start a weekly train service between the two countries and if passengers increased, the frequency would be increased.

Commenting on President Musharraf's view that high-level talks could be helpful in solving the Kashmir issue, Mr Menon said that at present secretary-level talks were progressing.

About Indian government's visa policy, he said that renovation work on the Indian consulate in Karachi was in progress and till its completion, visas would be issued through courier services.

He said if anybody wanted to obtain visa for India, he could send his application and passport to the Indian consulate in Islamabad and would receive visa on his address, but that process could take a couple of months.

Members of the business community were being given visas to boost trade between the two countries, he added. The high commissioner said that India was keen to solve problems of fishermen frequently arrested by agencies of the two countries.

He said the issue had been discussed during the recent visit of Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri to India and it had been decided that a meeting would be held between the Indian Coastguard and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency. The issue of fishermen must be resolved, he said.

Answering a question about bilateral negotiations, he said the two countries were serious in normalising their relations. Earlier, the high commissioner attended a reception given by the Hindu Panchayat Larkana. The Panchayat sought more facilities for Hindus visiting India.

Mr Menon said he would convey the request to his government. MNA Ramesh Lal, MNA Anwar Bhutto, District Nazim Khurshid Junejo, MPA Ayaz Soomro and others attended the reception. The high commissioner will visit Moenjodaro and Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto during his visit to the district.