India, Pakistan agree to discuss Kashmir

Chalking out a timetable and a roadmap for resumption of the composite dialogue, India and Pakistan agreed to discuss eight major issues including Jammu and Kashmir and nuclear confidence-building measures.

A joint statement issued after talks between Indian Foreign Secretary Shashank and his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Khokhar here said, "Both sides agreed that they would approach the composite dialogue with the sincere desire to discuss and arrive at a peaceful settlement of all bilateral issues, including Kashmir, to the satisfaction of both sides".

Shashank and Khokhar who announced the agreed modalities and timeframe for the composite dialogue at separate press briefings, will now meet in Delhi in May/June for talks on peace and security including confidence-building measures and Kashmir.

The foreign secretaries of the two countries would meet again in August a day before the meeting of their foreign ministers. The venue of this meeting will be worked out through diplomatic channels.

"Essentially, this is a process that has been going on from 1997-98. We are picking up from this," Shashank told Indian correspondents. "Some elements have been included from the memorandum of understanding (on the nuclear issue signed by the two countries in 1998)," he added.

"We are trying to move together in the spirit of the decision taken at the highest level by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf" and announced in the joint statement issued here on January 6, which spoke of removing the atmosphere of violence, hatred and terrorism.

Musharraf earlier announced at a clerics conference that India and Pakistan foreign secretaries would meet in May-June immediately after the elections in India, which would be followed by a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries.

"I am hopeful that a solution to the Kashmir issue, in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiris will be found," he said adding he would never "sell out" the Kashmiri people. Musharraf said, "We have to take the dialogue process forward. We are moving ahead in good manner".

Shashank said he had invited Khokhar to Delhi for the May-June meeting and that the Pakistan foreign secretary had accepted the invitation.

After the meeting of the foreign secretaries, the two sides would hold talks in July on the six other issues of Siachen, Tulbul navigation project, Sir Creek, terrorism and drug trafficking, economic and commercial cooperation and promotion of friendly exchanges in various fields at the already agreed levels. This is at the secretary and other levels.

Expert-level talks on the nuclear confidence-building measures will be held in the latter half of May, the venue for which will be worked out. "The idea is that it should be a comprehensive team. We have conveyed our ideas to Pakistan,' Shashank said.

Quit Pakistan, Musharraf tells militants

Stepping up pressure on foreign militants, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf today asked them to leave the country or surrender and pledged not to allow them to carry out their activities against any other country.

Foreign militants should leave Pakistan and go to their respective countries or surrender, he said apparently refering to al Qaeda while addressing a gathering of religious scholars in Islamabad.

The government would not hand over the surrendered militants to any other country if they laid down their weapons and hand themselves over to the Pakistan army, he said, "failing which they will be dealt with full force".