ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Assef Ahmad Ali said recently, a reply promised to India after it proposed reviving high level talks was not a prerequisite for peace to resume between the two archenemies. He told reporter officials of the \two sides needed to prepare for ‘the talks, which Islamabad says must focus on settling the longstanding dispute over Kashmir, and said it should not take long. Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had promised to reply to a letter from new Indian Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda recently that proposed reviving high level talks in response to her call for a dialogue. But the reply, which Bhutto had said would be given after the parliament passed her government’s budget for fiscal 7996/97 (July/June) by the end of June, is yet to be sent. “There is a misconception that Pakistan needs to’ give a reply,” Ali told reporters when asked when Bhutto’s reply would be sent. “The Pakistani Prime Minister had written to the new Indian Prime Minister suggesting starting the process of dialogue and the reply from the Indian side had indicated their willingness.
“Now the question is of working out modalities, where the talks are to be held, how they are to be conducted. Those modalities and those matters are to be taken up by officials. But Ali said India’s plans to hold controversial state assembly elections in September in two thirds of Kashmir ruled by New Delhi would corrupt the atmosphere for the talks.
Ali said India had “agreed to talk on every issue but at the same time they are doing business as usual in Kashmir. They are talking about the election and the same level of oppression (in Kashmir) is continuing,” he said, referring to the Indian actions against Moslem militants fighting for independence or union with Pakistan.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 31, 1996
