KARACHI, Jan 13: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has called for a liberal visa regime for promoting people-to-people contacts between Pakistan and India.

The foreign minister was talking to newsmen at the State Guest House here on Tuesday. He said enhanced people-to- people contacts were only possible if there was a liberal visa regime and this aim could not be achieved unless the strength of diplomatic missions in the two countries was enhanced and at least brought to the previous level.

When asked about the possibility of reopening of consulates, he parried any categorical answer. Recalling achievements of the 12th Saarc summit and a breakthrough in the process of normalization of relations with India, Mr Kasuri told a questioner that there had been no secret deal on Kashmir.

In reply to a question about the Joint Statement, he said it emphasised on the resolution of the Kashmir issue to the mutual satisfaction of both the parties. He said Kashmir leaders were taken into confidence by Pakistan over the issue.

The foreign minister said that Kashmir remained the focal point in the Joint Statement and added that "if the process has to go on, they (Kashmiris) have to be taken into confidence, sooner rather than later."

Mr Kasuri said that all Kashmiri leaders, including Syed Ali Gilani, Mir Waiz Omar Farooq, Shabbir Shah and others have welcomed the Joint Statement. Even the Pakistan People's Party and Maulana Fazlur Rahman were appreciative of the initiative, though Jamat-i-Islami's Shoora had criticized it, which was its democratic right.

He denied any secret deal with India and said the common agenda of the two countries was combating poverty, illiteracy and terrorism. The foreign minister said that Pakistan had not conceded any ground for the resumption of bilateral talks, and added that both sides had taken certain confidence building measures.

When asked at what level and when bilateral talks would be resumed, Mr Kasuri could not give a definite date. He, however, did not rule out the possibility of secretary level talks to begin with.

In reply to a question about the on-going operation against terrorists in Wana, he said it had not been launched at the behest of the US. He, however, said the US government was providing some "technical intelligence," adding that in such operations intelligence played an important role.

He said Pakistan was combating terrorism not for anyone else. "We are combating terrorism in all its manifestations because we believe that if there is terrorism in any country it will lead to instability and impede development," he declared.

On the issue of French journalists, Mr Kasuri said they had been set free by a judge of the Sindh High Court and it showed that "Pakistan's judiciary is entirely independent."

The foreign minister was, however, not pleased with the treatment meted out to illegal Pakistanis migrating to European countries for economic reasons.

"Pakistanis who migrate to other European countries due to economic reasons are some time arrested by the police and both police and media sensationalize such arrests and level false charges of terrorism against them, which is unfortunate.

"These Pakistanis and their families, before being exonerated by the independent judiciary of the European countries, are put under extreme emotional and physical stress," he said.