Pakistan calls for ‘meaningful’ talks on Kashmir

ISLAMABAD - Ahead of the secretary-level talk with India, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Saturday sought to raise the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and urged the Indian side for a “meanignful” dialogue to resolve it.

“I urge India to enter into a meaningful and result-oriented dialogue with Pakistan on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir,” APP quoted Gilani as having said in a statement.

Gilani said Pakistan remains firmly committed to its stance on Jammu and Kashmir.

“The Kashmir dispute remains close to the heart of every Pakistani and the future of both Pakistan and Kashmir is linked,” he said, adding that sincerity and seriousness should remain the basic fundamentals of dialogue process.

The statement comes as the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan are set to meet Sunday in Thimphu to revive the dialogue process that is stalled over two years after the Mumbai terrorist attack.

Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao is expected to hold bilateral talks with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir on the sidelines of the eight-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) meeting.

The bilateral talks could set the stage for a meeting between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in New Delhi later this year. The visit could take place in March.