Pak. claims to have reached `working understanding' with India

ISLAMABAD, JULY 19. Pakistan has claimed to have ``definitely'' reached a ``working understanding'' with India at the Agra summit to move ahead on nine identified areas.

The Pakistan High Commissioner to New Delhi, Mr. Jahangir Ashraf Qazi, has said the two sides had selected three areas to be dealt with at the political level. The Foreign Ministers would often meet to address the issues of Kashmir, peace and security and drugs and narcotics.

India had made it clear on Wednesday that the two countries would have to begin afresh on the basis of the Shimla agreement and Lahore declaration and not on what transpired at Agra, where no agreement was reached.

Previously, all the three issues were clubbed along with the rest of the issues, under the Indian framework of a ``composite dialogue'', Mr. Qazi said in an interview to the Pakistani daily The News.

Matters related to ``peace and security'' were given the top priority in the list of issues drawn by India for ``composite dialogue''. But, thanks to the understanding reached at Agra, Kashmir now gets the first place. Not only that, India and Pakistan will now discuss it at the political level,'' he said.

``Twice during the Agra summit, both countries came to accord a central position to Kashmir at the political level. But for some problems within the Indian delegation, this could not be materialised,'' he said. He declined to identify from where the last minute hitches came from.

Mr. Qazi said Pakistan would not be satisfied in getting a central position to Kashmir but would also press for inclusion of Hurriyat leaders in the talks. ``We also are trying hard to make the Indians understand that at some point of time, inclusion of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference is definitely needed, if we are serious to resolve the Kashmir problem. We do not say that there are no other political parties in Kashmir. But the Hurriyat represents of an overwhelming majority of people there. It has to get political space it genuinely deserves''.

On the achievements of the summit, Mr. Qazi said the top leaders of both the countries have agreed to have summit meetings once a year, besides the Foreign Ministers, who were expected to meet twice a year. He said the Pakistan President, Gen. Musharraf's India visit changed his image a great deal. ``A peculiar image was drummed up about him since the Kargil days. After October 12, 1999, (military coup) the media here concentrated more on his appearances of a cut and dry soldier,'' he said.

The High Commissioner described Gen. Musharraf's breakfast meeting with Indian editors as a ``coup''. However, he disagreed with the perception that the telecast of the meeting had spoiled the summit.

- PTI

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Section  : International
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