SRINAGAR, Sept 8: Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said Saturday that Kashmir was still “a core issue” and that the “aspirations of the Kashmiri people must be accommodated and they must be a part of the dialogue process”.
Addresing a joint press conference with Indian foreign minister S.M. Krishna in Pakistan capital Islamabad, Khar mentioned Kashmir and Siachin issues while stressing that both the south-Asian nuclear foes should simultaneously progress on all tracks despite issues that have divided them for several decades.
Khar said the two neighbours should look for ways and means for solutions to issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, “so that we continue to develop on our achievements through dialogue”.
Krishna is in Islamabad on a three-day visit to make an overall review of the recent talks between the two countries, which have made significant improvements bilaterally on many fronts esepcially trade and commerce.
Khar stressed that Kashmir – over which the two countries have gone to war thrice in the last 65 years – was a “core issue” and that it could not be ignored.
“We must learn from missed opportunities… India should resolve the Kashmir dispute to move ahead with parleys,” she underlined.
“Pakistan sends a strong message” to move ahead in ties, Khar said, adding, “Visa agreement is the first step towards normalisation of ties.”
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