Kashmir will be discussed during Pranab's Pak visit

Share:

January 03, 2007 19:56 IST

The Kashmir issue and the Indo-Pak dialogue process will be discussed during External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Pakistan next week, the foreign ministry said.

The main aim of Mukherjee's two-day visit to Pakistan beginning January 13 is to extend an invitation for the SAARC Summit to be held in New Delhi in April this year.

He will also review the third round of the Composite Dialogue process, Pakistan Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told a media briefing.

Asked whether Kashmir would figure in talks, she said Kashmir always figured in the meetings between Indian leaders and officials.

Aslam termed as 'absolutely incorrect' some Indian media reports that Pakistan has agreed to include Taxila in the places which diplomats can travel without permission from the government.

During the recent Foreign Secretary-level talks in New Delhi, Pakistan has proposed liberalisation of restrictions on the movement of Indian diplomats but New Delhi has not responded, she said.

"So there was no agreement in which Pakistan has agreed to permit Indian diplomats visit Taxila without permission," she added.

However, she did not refer to new curbs imposed by Pakistan on the movement of Indian diplomats, which virtually confined them to Islamabad.

As per the new restrictions, Indian diplomats have to seek permission to visit the nearby towns of Rawalpindi and Murree.

Get Rediff News in your Inbox:
Share: