India, Pak unveil CBMs; discuss Khar-Hurriyat meeting, terror

New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) Carrying forward their engagement
process, India and Pakistan on Wednesday announced new
Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) notwithstanding the
unhappiness here about new Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina
Rabbani Khar's meeting with Kashmiri separatist leaders here.
The CBMs include increasing cross-LoC trading days and
expanding travel to include tourism and religious aspects
apart from relaxing permit conditions for travel by people of
Jammu and Kashmir to the other side of LoC by having a system
of six-month multiple entry.
The CBMs were announced after the discussion between
Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and 34-year old
Khar during which both sides expressed the intent to move
forward and forge a "cooperative" relationship although they
stuck to their known positions on key issues such as J-K and
terror.
Replying to a query on Indo-Pak position on Kashmir and
Khar's meeting with Hurriyat leaders yesterday, Foreign
Secretary Nirupama Rao, at a joint press conference with her
Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir, said "neither of us
underestimate the difficulties involved. There are divergences
and that divergence was illustrated yesterday by the meetings
you referred to.
"We have a very different point of view from Pakistan on
that particular event and we have expressed our concerns in a
frank and candid manner to the Pakistani side on this", Rao
said.
However, downplaying the Khar-Hurriyat meeting, Bashir
said "too much should not be read" into the meeting. Khar has
said "the meeting yesterday cannot be construed in any manner,
either intentionally or by design, to cast any shadow on
today's talks. It is to the contrary," Bashir said.
Khar, within hours of her arrival, had met both the
factions of Hurriyat Conference- one led by hardliner Syed Ali
Shah Geelani and other by moderate leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq
at the Pakistan High Commission here.
During the "fruitful" meeting, which lasted for over two
and half hours and were held in a "candid, cordial and
constructive" atmosphere, the two sides reviewed J-K, counter
-terrorism measures, including progress in the 26/11 case in
Pakistan, humanitarian issues, commercial and economic
cooperation, Wullar Barrage/ Tulbul Navigation Project, Sir
Creek, Siachen, peace and security including CBMs.
"The Ministers held discussions on the issue of J-K and
agreed to the need for continued discussions in a purposeful
and forward looking manner with a view to finding a peaceful
solution by narrowing divergences and building convergences,"
said a joint statement issued after the talks.
During the meeting, India also raised the issue of slow
pace of Mumbai terror attack case in Pakistan and emphasised
on the speedy action to bring to justice the culpable of the
26/11 and also Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence funding
Kashmir separatist Ghulam Nabi Fai who had been recently
arrested in the US.
Asked on the recent rhetoric by JuD Chief Hafiz Saeed,
and the propaganda by Fai, Bashir said this matter of
propaganda was discussed. There was conscious effort from both
sides not to encourage rhetorics.
"You cannot attribute individual's views to a state views
and it is important to keep that distinction in mind....of
course whether it is Hurriyat of Fai, our position is always
well known. So, I don't think it should be construed as
anti-India propaganda", he said.
Bashir also said "I just want to make a general point
here to enable you to understand what we are trying to do in
this process. We want to take this process forward. We agreed
that it should be a sustained process which we believe is in
the best interest of the two peoples. But in doing so, we have
to make a conscious effort to be respectful to each other and
to be mindful of each other's concerns."
"But that does not in any way mean that either of us
would seek some sort of advantage over the other. That is not
the spirit that would guide this dialogue. I am sure that is
the case...And everything that we do is with our prejudice to
our known positions, that is the case of both countries. I
think it is based on that understanding. I think probably it
would not be appropriate to try to read more into what is said
and what is not said."
Asked when India will come out with the investigations in
Samjhuta blast case, Rao said the investigations are one and
once it is completed it will be shared with Pakistan.
After his meeting with Khar, Krishna said "I am
satisfied at the progress achieved in this round of the
resumed dialogue. The outcomes have been as per our
expectations...While being fully cognisant of the challenges
that lie ahead, I can confidently say that our relations are
on the right track."
"This is indeed a new era of bilateral cooperation
between the two countries and it is our desire and I believe
after having spoken to you (Krishna), that it is the desire
and commitment of both the governments to make it an
uninterrupted and an uninterpretable process," Khar said. PTI
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