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Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Indian foreign secretary due in Pakistan to discuss Kashmir
ISLAMABAD: India’s foreign secretary is due to visit Pakistan this month to discuss Kashmir, a Pakistani official said on Tuesday, the first formal talks between the two rivals on their core dispute since 2008, but analysts expect no breakthroughs.
Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir were assigned to tackle the territorial argument over Kashmir, which lies at the heart of tension between the two nuclear-armed states. “She (Nirupama Rao) is expected here later this month to discuss peace and security, Jammu and Kashmir as well as friendly exchanges,” the Foreign Ministry official told Reuters. Rao is due to retire on July 31.
The talks are expected to improve ties between the two neighbours. “It is a revival of the peace process. Definitely Kashmir will be discussed,” said Mutahir Ahmed, a professor at the Department of International Relations at the University of Karachi. “It’s a positive development but one should not expect any big and immediate results out of these talks.” “Kashmir is an old and complicated issue and it cannot be resolved so easily.”
India accuses Pakistan of arming, abetting and sending militants into its Held Kashmir. India has also tried to use the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan by US forces last month to ratchet up pressure on Islamabad to do more to tackle militancy. reuters
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk