Indo-Pak plan for peace
Kashmir 'part of composite dialogue'

DHAKA, March 19 (PTI) — Pakistan today again raised the Kashmir issue at a multilateral forum with National Assembly Speaker Illahi Bukhsh Soomro saying the "core" issue and other outstanding disputes with India should be settled peacefully.

"Now the task before the two nations and the international community is to ensure the confidence-building measures as reflected in the Lahore framework and commitments with regard to Jammu and Kashmir are translated into action," he said at the inaugural session of the conference of Speakers and parliamentarians of SAARC countries here.

Earlier, inaugurating the conference, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said parliamentarians of the region should unite on "a minimum point and for common cause for peace" in South Asia despite political and other differences.

Referring to the need of peace in the region for the welfare of the people, Ms Hasina spoke of her personal initiative to visit New Delhi and Islamabad last year for talks with Prime Ministers of the two countries after their nuclear tests.

Lok Sabha Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi, who is leading a nine-member Indian delegation, in his address to the conference called for regional integration among the SAARC member countries for economic cohesiveness in order to make the transition from SAPTA (South Asian Preferential Trade Arrangement) to SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area) a reality by the year 2001.

Representatives from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka are attending the conference.

Both sides agreed to relax the visa regime for several categories of visitors which will be announced by the respective government shortly.

Foreign Ministers Jaswant Singh and Sartaj Aziz, after an hour-long meeting on the fringes of the SAARC ministerial meeting here, reaffirming their commitment to the Lahore Declaration said they would meet shortly after the conclusion of the May-June round of the composite and integrated dialogue in accordance with the agreed agenda.

The meetings of experts for the implementation of the Lahore memorandum of understanding (MoU) on confidence building measures (CBMs) would be held over the next two months, a joint statement issued after the meeting said.

The two neighbours also agreed to form a committee on humanitarian issues composed of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan and Minister of State for External Affairs of India, to formalise an agreement to release civilian prisoners as well as discuss other such matters.

A delegation of experts from India would visit Pakistan during April to identify areas of cooperation in information technology, Y2K and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) related issues, he said.

Both Jaswant Singh and Sartaj Aziz displayed considerable amount of bonhomie in front of the crowded international media here by repeatedly shaking hands and exchanging pleasantaries.

Answering to queries, Mr Singh said the concrete measures announced after a very friendly meeting between him and Mr Aziz was a clear demonstration of "direction, movement and moving forward" of the Lahore Declaration and spirit generated thereafter.

Mr Aziz expressed total satisfaction over the format worked to discuss Kashmir as well as other issues.

"The Lahore Declaration and the concrete measures announced in the ministers’ meeting today facilitated a comprehensive and integrated dialogue process on Kashmir and other issues, Mr Aziz told reporters and added he was satisfied with the way India had agreed to discuss the (Kashmir) problem.

He said the meeting had set out a road map on the basis of which both countries would be able to pursue the implementation of the Lahore Declaration.

"We have identified both at the experts level, Foreign Secretaries level and ministerial level about who will meet when and finalise what," Mr Aziz said.

Mr Aziz said judging from sentiments expressed in the joint statement, it was evident that there was forward movement on Kashmir.

He said Kashmir was all part of a composite dialogue which included the nuclear issues. "We have also referred to memorandum of understanding which deals with particular issues. All documents, the Lahore Declaration, the joint statement and memorandum of understanding deals with all issues," he said.

Reiterating the commitment of both countries, Mr Singh said the Prime Ministers Atal Behari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif had set the process in motion. "We are all committed to that process and committed to the fruitful resolution at the earliest."

To a question on the differences between India and Pakistan over the references of the Lahore Declaration and the provision of informal political consultations, Mr Aziz said there was no reluctance on the part of India to have the Lahore Declaration in the standing committee report.

Mr Aziz said: "There was no reluctance to accept the Lahore Declaration. It was only in multilateral context they (India) are referring to. As far as bilateral process, you can see the references to Lahore Declaration very clearly here also because the declaration made reference to SAARC."

Mr Singh said the issue figured at the ministerial discussions because SAARC charter warranted a consensus on the issue. There were no differences on this any longer, he said.

The ministers agreed to the following:

• The meetings of experts for the implementation of the memorandum of understanding will be held over the next two months.
• The next round of the composite and integral dialogue process in accordance with the agreed agenda will commence in May, 1999, in New Delhi and Islamabad and will be held over a period of six weeks.
• They will meet shortly after the conclusion of the May-June round of the composite and integrated dialogue process.
• The committee on humanitarian issues composed of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan and the Minister of State of External Affairs of India set up by the Prime Ministers at the Lahore summit will meet in April, 1999, to formalise the agreement on the issue of release of civilian prisoners as well as to discuss other humanitarian issues.
• Both sides have agreed to relax the visa regime for several categories of visitors. The specific visa relaxation measures shall be announced by the two governments shortly.
• Delegations of experts from India shall visit Pakistan during April, 1999, for identifying areas of cooperation in information technology, Y2K and WTO-related issues.