Pranab, Pervez discuss 'forward' plan

Islamabad: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee met Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday and discussed the entire gamut of bilateral issues including "difficult ones".

"All outstanding issues and disputes including terrorism and Jammu and Kashmir were discussed. Considerable time was spent on how to take the relationship forward from this point," said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna.

"Both leaders also expressed determination to give political impetus to discussions and carry the dialogue process forward."

Mukherjee and Musharraf ''pledged to carry forward the peace process'' the two nations had initiated in 2004, AP quoted an unnamed official as saying.

Mukherjee, who arrived here Saturday afternoon, has come here with an invitation for Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to attend the 14th SAARC summit in New Delhi in April.

On his arrival, Mukherjee said matters of mutual interests and the bilateral relations between both countries will be discussed.

"We have made reasonable progress in three rounds of composite dialogue which has been going on between India and Pakistan at the level of the foreign secretaries," said Mukherjee.

"During my visit I would like to share the perceptions of the leaders of Pakistan on these issues," he said.

According to him, India hoped to operationalise the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) at the SAARC summit.

"One point I would like to emphasise is that we would like to ensure and seek cooperation of all SAARC partner countries that the summit should give a clear signal for removing the barriers and improving the connectivity in the subcontinent to ensure free flow of trade, commerce, goods, people and ideas," he said.

Mukherjee maintained the region had tremendous potential in building up its economy.

"If we can effectively operationalise SAFTA, it would be beneficial to each member country belonging to the group, which is now an extended family."

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The All Parties Hurriyat Conference criticised the talks, saying they were fruitless and the ideas being touted, including those made by Musharaff, did not address the Kashmiri demand for self rule.

''The people of Kashmir have not made sacrifices for self rule, autonomy or soft borders, but for the right to self determination,'' said Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.