TAXILA, Dec 16: Federal Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli has said that confidence-building measures will play a significant role in the resolution of all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan.

Talking to newsmen at the Taxila Archaeological Museum here on Thursday after a luncheon given in honour of Saarc information ministers, she said that Pakistan had always welcomed confidence-building measures that could help normalize relations with India.

She said Pakistan wanted all possible options for a peaceful and negotiated settlement of the Kashmir issue to be explored in a sincere spirit and purposeful manner.

Ms Tahirkheli said Pakistan was committed to peace in South Asia and it would continue to advance the process of dialogue to resolve all disputes though negotiations and peaceful means.

She was confident that Pakistan and India would have healthy and sustainable relations. About the Saarc media conference, the minister said that the conference had approved a document for a free flow of information, newspapers, periodicals, books and other publications.

She said it was a conceptual plan to promote information and media for achieving Saarc goals and address new challenges. She said the plan required member countries to reduce postal and telecommunication rates for media transmission and information materials.

She said the meeting also recommended laying out model guidelines on transnational satellite broadcasting in the region and cooperation in exchanging information among news agencies.

Speaking on the occasion, Nepalese Information Minister Dr Mohammad Mohsin said this conference would have the widest impact on the region. He there was a wider scope for cooperation and joint efforts among the member states to achieve objectives of Saarc.

He said it was a good and healthy indication that both Islamabad and New Delhi had agreed to continue confidence-building measures and the dialogue process to resolve all bilateral issues including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Nepalese minister for information said that his country had taken steps to establish an information centre. He urged both Pakistan and India to discuss mutual disputes on the platform of Saarc in order to resolve them peacefully.

Bhutan's information minister Leki Dorji said that Saarc could prove to be a better platform to meet expectations of the people of South Asia by a forward movement in tandem with confidence-building measures (CBMs) and composite dialogue process which would lead to an era of peace and prosperity in the region by addressing common challenges of poverty and under- development. -APP