Delegation presses for talks at SAARC summit

India and Pakistan should not miss the opportunity to resume bilateral talks at the SAARC summit scheduled in Nepal next week, a delegation of leading personalities of both the countries said here today.
The "ice-breaking" in Kathmandu should be followed by an early summit-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif with a well-planned and comprehensive agenda, the delegation said.
Former foreign minister of Pakistan Khurshid Kasuri, Congress leaders Salman Khurshid and Mani Shankar Aiyar, among others at two-day Track 2 Dialogue, organised by Pakistan-based Regional Peace Institute, called for strong political will on both sides to resolve issues.

"What is needed is strong political will on both sides, and a determination to resolve all outstanding issues, including Kashmir and cross-border terrorism," the joint statement by the delegation said.
When asked about Nawaz Sharif's comments on consulting separatist groups in Kashmir before holding talks with India, Kasuri said Pakistan followed the practice as it wanted to have consensus of both the sides of Kashmir.
He said meeting Kashmiris is always good and it happens before any dialogue. But when confidence and trust between the two nations reach a low point then every step is looked with suspicion.