Call for including Kashmiri leadership in Indo-Pak talks

ISLAMABAD - Welcoming the resumption of talks between India and Pakistan, Kashmir Committee chairman Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that the Kashmir issue and the Kashmiri leadership should also feature in upcoming deliberations.

During a meeting with Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal here, Rehman demanded the participation of the Kashmiri leadership in any upcoming India-Pakistan talks, The News reports.

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna is likely to visit Islamabad on July 15 for talks with his Pakistan counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Qureshi has already said that all issues would be discussed with Krishna, and Islamabad would not hesitate to present its stated positions on all issues bedevilling bilateral ties.

He has also made it clear that people should not expect any ‘miracle’ from the upcoming meeting.

“Don’t expect miracles overnight. It is an uphill task. The two foreign secretaries will meet on the sidelines of the SAARC conference to do the ground work for the foreign ministers meeting which will take place on July 15. I will be visiting New Delhi after the Islamabad meeting at a mutually convenient date for the next round of talks,” Qureshi had said earlier. (ANI)