ISLAMABAD - Expressing concern over human rights’ violations by the India security forces in Held Kashmir, Pakistan Wednesday said it wanted resumption of dialogue process with India to resolve all outstanding issues, including Kashmir.
“Kashmir is the core issue between the two countries and its solution lies in dialogue process,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said in a weekly press briefing, emphasising the Kashmiri leadership should also be part of the dialogue.
When asked about details of the meeting between Prime Minister’s Special Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz and Kashmiri leaders, the spokesperson said: “It is customary that when our foreign minister or foreign secretary goes to India for official commitment, he consults Kashmiri leaders.” “For us, this is an important activity. We believe that the Kashmir issue is the core dispute between the two countries. Kashmiri leadership ought to be associated with the dialogue process between India and Pakistan for resolution of the issue. We have always affirmed our moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their struggle to determine their destiny. And that support will continue,” he explained.
Commenting upon the meetings of Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz with Indian leadership in New Delhi, the spokesperson said the adviser held talks with the Indian external affairs minister and the national security adviser on all issues, including the situation on the Line of Control.
He said director generals of military operations of both the countries made a number of contacts on the LoC situation, which greatly helped to normalise the situation at the working boundary.
He said that ceasefire agreement of 2003 should be respected for peaceful environment between the two neighbours. He said Sartaj Aziz also paid a courtesy call on the Indian PM and affirmed the desire of Pakistan to have friendly and peaceful relations with India. To another question about new chief of TTP, Mullah Fazlullah, the spokesperson said Pakistan had made it clear to Afghanistan several times that it should not allow the use of its territory against Pakistan.
He expressed the confidence that Afghanistan would take the required steps in this regard. He said the visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Kabul was on the cards, but no dates had yet been fixed.
About the whereabouts of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Baradar who was released in September, the spokesperson said he was in Pakistan and could contact his family members or anyone else to advance the peace process. He asserted Pakistan had released Mullah Baradar to advance the Afghan peace and reconciliation process.
The spokesperson expressed his inability to share details of the prime minister’s visit to Afghanistan, just saying it was very much on the cards and aimed at deepening bilateral ties and pushing reconciliation process. About the visit of Afghan High Peace Council delegation, he said Kabul had not so far contacted Pakistan in this connection.
About the crackdown by Saudi Arabia on illegal workers, the spokesperson said status of 800,000 Pakistanis had been regularised due to the strenuous efforts of the Pakistani mission there while more than 50,000 Pakistanis were being facilitated to return to their country.