ISLAMABAD, Jan 12: Pakistan said on Monday it remained optimistic as well as confident about the peace process with India and made it clear that there would be no compromise on aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
In his weekly briefing, the Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan described the Jan 5 Musharraf-Vajpayee meeting as a historic moment "when ice was broken and the way paved for a dialogue."
Terming it a giant step he declared: "We remain upbeat and optimistic about the process that has started." "In 2002 and 2003 we were on the cusp of despondency and despair but now we have a glimmer of hope of resolving all issues including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir," he maintained.
COMPOSITE DIALOGUE: The Foreign Office spokesman said the dates, venue, agenda and level of the composite dialogue would be worked out through diplomatic channels. However, he did not specify when.
The spokesman refused to indulge in any sort of speculation about the agenda or level of the composite dialogue that the two countries had agreed to hold next month.
Responding to a question, he said Pakistan would make a specific proposal regarding the structure and the level at which the composite dialogue should proceed. While noting that the two sides were working together to arrive at certain decisions he did not give any definite timeline.
He said Pakistan was hopeful that the composite dialogue next month would ultimately lead to resolution of all outstanding issues between the two countries, including the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir.
When asked to identify the less contentious issues and if these would be addressed first, the spokesman said: "Let us not speculate how the process starts. We have to have an optimistic mindset and look towards the future with confidence."
KASHMIR: Mr Khan disagreed with the notion that the Jan 6 Islamabad Joint Statement was part of a secret deal or signalled a change in Pakistan's stated position on Kashmir. The aspirations of Kashmiris remain paramount and would never be compromised, he emphasised.
The spokesman was evasive when asked why Pakistan had withdrawn from its earlier position of allowing the Srinagar-Muzzafarabad bus service under the UN travel documents.
The spokesman was equally vehement in knocking down the insinuation that it was pressure from some foreign powers, particularly the US, that had led to the recent breakthrough in Pakistan-India relations.
"There was no pressure. It was the statesmanship and wisdom of the two leaders that led to the peace process, the spokesman said. Pointing to the direct and indirect US engagement with India and Pakistan on this mater, he said it could at best be called facilitation.
He said given that both India and Pakistan were nuclear-armed neighbours, the US and other countries had a legitimate interest in restoration of peace, security and stability in South Asia.
ADVANI: Asked if a formal invitation would be extended to Indian Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani to visit Pakistan, the spokesman said that no decision had been taken in this regard yet.
He termed reports about Mr Advani travelling to Pakistan to discuss modalities of an extradition treaty as incorrect, saying: "Nothing of the sort is happening now."
In reply to a question, the spokesman emphasised that the Additional Protocol to the Saarc Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism simply updated and supplemented the existing convention in the light of 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US. The spokesman said a decision on the ratification of the Additional Protocol and some related aspects would be taken after further consultations.
WANA OPERATION: The Foreign Office spokesman said the operation last week against suspected foreign terrorists in Wana, South Waziristan tribal agency bordering Afghanistan, was not launched under the US pressure.
"It was based on our own determination and intelligence reports that some foreign terrorists were hiding there," he insisted. "All decisions we take are driven by our national interest," he categorically stated.
He said Pakistan was providing logistical support to the Americans as part of their continuing cooperation in the war against terrorism. This included permission to the Americans to use Pakistani airspace, he added.
In reply to a question, the spokesman said there was no information yet available on the number, nationalities and identities of the alleged foreign terrorists.
The spokesman disagreed with a view that the reform agenda for the Madressahs was US-dictated and being funded by the US government. He said the measures being taken for integration of Madressahs were initiated by Pakistan authorities. The funding Pakistan was getting from the US government was for education and not specific to reforms in Madressahs, he said.
Responding to a question the spokesman said Pukhtoonistan was a non-issue. "It is dead and buried and it only exists in the books of history," he said.