India and Pakistan begin Kashmir talks
The foreign secretaries of nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan began two-day talks today that will include their first formal dialogue on disputed Kashmir since they launched a peace process a year ago, officials said.
Both countries claim the entire Himalayan region of Kashmir, which is divided between them. They’ve fought two wars over the area since their independence from Britain in 1947.
Pakistan’s Riaz Khokar and his Indian counterpart Shyam Saran will also review progress made in two rounds of negotiations held since February, aimed at ending 57 years of hostility between the neighbouring countries.
“The foreign secretaries will discuss what progress has been made in the whole (peace) process, where we stand and where we can go forward from here,” said Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan.
Khokar and Saran – the top bureaucrats in their respective ministries – are expected to set a calendar for the next round of talks by senior officials on issues including border disputes, fighting drugs and terrorism, economic cooperation and nuclear confidence-building.
“One track has moved forward quite expeditiously and that is steps taken for building confidence,” Khan said.
”Progress on peace and security and the Kashmir issue has been a bit slow. There is a realisation of this among the people and in the leadership that this needs to be taken forward.”
The foreign secretaries are expected to discuss Kashmir on the second day of the talks, and analysts say a breakthrough is unlikely. However, both countries are expected to push on with the peace process as neither wants it to fail.
Over the weekend, Saran told reporters that Kashmir was a ”complicated issue” and it was necessary to “build confidence” to resolve it.
India accuses Pakistan of supporting Islamic militants fighting in Indian-held Kashmir. Pakistan denies helping the rebels, but has vowed to stop their infiltration, and there has been a reported drop in the number of insurgents crossing the border in the past year.
Pakistan’s President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has urged both countries to move beyond their uncompromising stated positions on Kashmir – suggesting power-sharing or placing some areas under UN administration.
