Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has said although the issue of Kashmir carries high importance at the agenda of composite dialogue between India and Pakistan, its overnight solution is not possible.
"I did not think that the differences over the Kashmir would be sorted out in a single meeting," Kasuri told BBC Radio.
This is a composite dialogue covering eight items, and Kashmir carries high importance rather centrality among them, the minister said.
The two countries have agreed that people to people contacts among the Kashmiris residing on both the sides of the Line of Control (LoC) will be strengthened, he said adding this is a positive development.
To a question he said an expert group will meet to finalise modalities of the occupied Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service.
To another question he said, all the diplomatic issues could not be shared with press.
"If we openly talk about complex diplomatic issues, it may pollute the environment," he added.
He is a Foreign Minister and his objective is to bring peace between the two countries Kasuri said adding similar are the feelings on the other sides as well.
Responding to yet another question he said, former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee played a positive role in kicking off the dialogue adding Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh have also issued positive statements in this connection.
He expressed the hope that dialogue process will move ahead when President General Pervez Musharraf and Manmohan Singh meet in New York.
The Foreign Minister said, "We are also meeting on the margins of UNGA session in New York," continuing, Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would hopefully meet on the sidelines of UN General Assembly session.
Besides, the minister maintained Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz is expected to visit New Delhi along with other South Asian capitals as chairperson of Saarc. Then of course there is going to be Summit meeting in Dhaka when Bangladesh takes over the chairmanship of Saarc.
So there are going to be repeated opportunities and there may be some others at the sidelines of International Conferences, he pointed out adding India and Pakistan will have ample opportunities to pursue further the process that "we have been engaged in the last few days. "Responding to a question about the outcome of the just concluded Indo-Pak talks at Foreign Ministers' level, Kasuri said considering the fact that two years ago there were one million soldiers on the border and the two countries were on the verge of war.
"The fact that we made the progress and the fact the dialogue is continuing. And on certain issues there has been progress. That even on issue of Jammu and Kashmir, the government of India has said that the existing mechanisms will be used more effectively. It is an indication that government of India is aware of the importance that Pakistan attaches to the issue of Jammu and Kashmir," the Minister stated.
Further adding, he expressed it would be unrealistic to expect that the Kashmir, which has caused three wars between the two countries and near-war in 2002 would be resolved in one meeting. "But the fact is that every time we meet to understand each other better and I am hopeful that we will carry this process forward and hopefully reach to some conclusion," he argued.
Referring to the impact of general relationship between India and Pakistan vis a vis Saarc's future, the minister said Saarc has already concluded Safta and it is very important because that can make major difference in the lives of the people of the South Asia. "Let us hope that our relations remain on even keel and we are able to progress in this respect," he expressed.
To another question, the minister said in view of the complexity of the India and Pakistan relationship, he felt it would be necessary to talk to the opposition leaders. Kasuri said he was also scheduled to meet former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee but he was ill after his political engagements in Lucknow and developed temperature so he could not see him.
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