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Aseff denies

secret meeting

on Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Sardar Aseff Ahmad Ali on Thursday ruled out any 'behind-the-scene' dialogue or secret meeting to find out solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

Answering questions during the question hour of the Senate here he said India had contradictory policy on the issue as some of its leaders describe Kashmir as integral part of India while some dub the Kashmir question as a bilateral dispute.

He said: "Pakistan's position on the issue is very clear, it believes in a meaningful result-oriented and well-structured dialogue with India on the lingering Kashmir problem."

He said Pakistan as even ready for dialogue with India under the Simla agreement, but he made it clear that there must be a declared agenda having Kashmir issue as its substantive part.

He pointed out that even under the Simla accord both India and Pakistan were bound to find out a peaceful negotiated settlement of the Kashmir imbroglio.

He said that the UN resolutions on Kashmir "are binding on India and Pakistan and are enforceable under the relevant articles of the UN Charter."

Asked by the leader of the opposition Raja Mohammad Zafarul Haq whether Pakistan would make trade with India conditional with the settlement of Kashmir dispute the Aseff said: "Trade and Kashmir problems two separate issues." He said under the UN Charter Pakistan "is bound to accord the most favoured nation (NFN) status" to India.

He pointed out that even Nawaz Sharif had placed an order for purchasing three sugar plants from India.

To a question by Qazi Hussain Ahmad he said the Untied States Institute of Peace (USIP) "has not so far initiated" any dialogue on the Kashmir dispute.

Aseff said the USIP "is funded by the US Congress but it works as an autonomous body" with distinguished scholars working on different issues.

He said the Government of Pakistan "has not yet decided" to participate in the USIP initiative and hence the question of nominating anyone to take part in the dialogue did not arise.

He said that Pakistan had not initiated any informal talks at non-governmental level with India.-PPI