KARACHI, Jan 29: Indian High Commissioner Shivshankar Menon said on Thursday that the outcome of the elections in his country would not derail the peace process with Pakistan.

"I don't see the outcome of the elections derailing the process because today there is a consensus among all the political parties to carry on the process," said Mr Menon in reply to a question after his talk at the English Speaking Union on Pakistan-India relations.

He said India was committed to beginning the process of dialogue in February. Although there would be elections in India during the year, it should not affect the process of dialogue since there was a broad political consensus in its favour in the country, he said.

Mr Menon claimed that public opinion in India was for the process to continue. "We have to be responsive to the public opinion," he said. Asked why India was continuing fencing along the Line of Control in the occupied Kashmir if it was seeking to resolve the issue, he said :"We are not putting it on the back burner. Ceasefire is holding and it is in the interest of both the countries. If you want to check infiltration, you build fences. I don't see any problem."

He told a questioner that interest had been shown for joint ventures and many groups had been looking for what they could do with Pakistani partners. But, he said, the decision in this regard had to be driven by commercial factors.

When the high commissioner was asked if some decisions were taken as a result of New Delhi's talks with a faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and if it would affect the dialogue with Pakistan, he said: "We have a commitment to discuss the issue with Pakistan and we have a commitment to discuss it in Jammu and Kashmir. I don't think these affect each other. The problem is with the mindset," which is influenced by 56 years of acrimonious relations."

As for the request of the APHC leaders to visit Pakistan, Mr Menon said it was being looked into. He reiterated the Indian position on visa regime and travel facilities and said New Delhi was keen to open the Khokhrapar route as soon as possible. Talks in this regard were likely to be held in March, he said.

Reminding the audience of the plan to open visa camp offices outside Islamabad, Mr menon said separate windows could be arranged for businessmen and for emergency cases.

The possibility of receiving visa applications through courier service was also being examined to facilitate the intending visitors, he said. Mr Menon said Pakistan-India relations were "poised at a moment of hope. To many of us it seems that we have an opportunity in this moment of transition to move these relations out of the complicated course that they have followed in the past."

"It is the previous unhappy experience that leads to some present anxiety and cynicism about the future of the relationship," said the high commissioner.He referred to the joint statement issued after the meeting between President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and said: "We have expressed confidence that the resumption of the composite dialogue will lead to the peaceful settlement of bilateral issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, to the satisfaction of both sides."

He said the statement was "a victory for all of us in India and Pakistan, and in the region. It is also a victory for peace." The present process of improving the relations began when Prime Minister Vajpayee extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan on April 18, 2003, Mr Menon emphasized. He said that since then the two countries had restored relations at the high-commissioner level and trade and travel links.

He said bus, train and air links between the two countries were functioning. "We hope to extend those to new routes, including Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Khokhrapar-Munabao, and to add a Karachi-Mumbai ferry service. A ceasefire has been agreed and is holding along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. As a result of the steps towards normality that we have already taken, an unprecedented groundswell of popular support for an improved relationship has become evident in both the countries," he said.

He called for continuing in the direction both the countries had started moving in over the last months in response to popular expectation and the enthusiasm of the people.

If the process was to be sustained, there was a need to make progress on ensuring that terror and violence were eliminated, he said. "We must also make progress in addressing bilateral issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, to the satisfaction of both the sides. At the same time, we need to move forward on normalization measures," he said.