ISLAMABAD, Dec 18: The Foreign Office has said that reciprocal flexibility is required from both India and Pakistan to reach a final settlement of the Kashmir issue acceptable to the two countries, and, above all, to the Kashmiris.
Addressing the weekly news briefing here on Monday, FO spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said Pakistan and India were discussing proposals on the Kashmir issue from both sides at all levels.
According to Dawn’s Qudssia Akhlaque, the FO spokesperson confirmed that Pakistan had received some proposals on Kashmir from the Indian side, but was non-committal when asked if these proposals were beyond India’s stated position. She said that Pakistan and India would set free by Dec 25 all prisoners who had completed their prison terms and whose national status had been confirmed.
She was, however, not sure about the exact number of prisoners likely to be released under an agreement reached between the two countries at the foreign secretary-level talks.
Replying to a question, she said Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee would be visiting Islamabad next month to invite the Pakistani leadership to the 14th Saarc summit being held in India next year.
The two foreign ministers would also review the third round of talks between the two countries.
Asked if an agreement on liberalisation of the visa regime would be signed during Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Pakistan, she said no deadlines had been set for it.
Replying to another question, she said that Pakistan had received proposals from Afghanistan on the holding of tribal jirga ‘basically aimed at bringing peace in the border areas’.—Agencies
