ISLAMABAD, Jan 6: Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri told the visiting All-Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) delegation here on Friday that some forward movement was expected on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir during the next round of Indo-Pakistan composite dialogue.

The foreign minister expressed optimism when the delegation headed by APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq called on him at the Foreign Office during the day.

The three-member APHC delegation includes the executive committee member Professor Abdul Ghani Bhatt and Mr Bilal Ghani Lone.

According to a Foreign Office statement, the foreign minister said: In the improved atmosphere of Pakistan-India relations, there are expectations of some forward movement on all issues between the two countries, especially the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir during the third round of composite dialogue to commence on Jan 17.

During the meeting, Mr Kasuri underscored that it was essential to resolve the issue of Kashmir to ensure peace in the region. He added that durable peace would only be possible after a just settlement of the issue was reached.

The APHC leaders expressed their full support for President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s initiatives for seeking peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute. They also briefed the foreign minister about the worsening human rights situation in the occupied Kashmir.

The foreign minister briefed them on relief and rehabilitation efforts undertaken by the government in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan. The APHC leaders in turn lauded the efforts of the people and the government of Pakistan for relief and rehabilitation of earthquake affectees in the AJK.