The sudden chill that seemed to set in between India and Pakistan cleared a bit today with both sides using Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz’s visit to air their perceptions on the Kashmir issue in the context of statements made by leaders on both sides. But while the ‘‘misimpressions’’ were somewhat set right, there was very little taking the script forward.While Pakistan believes with the thaw, the time is ripe to address the ‘‘core issue’’ of Kashmir, India is keen on broadening the scope of engagement and implementing more CBMs like the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service. ‘‘In the way we look at it, the confidence building process is not a deflection from the Jammu and Kashmir issue. In fact, it is integral to seeking a solution to the complex problem,’’ Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said.Aziz, who brought no proposal on Kashmir with him, clarified that the idea floated by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf at an iftar was meant for internal debate. However, Pakistan insisted that Kashmiris should be included in the dialogue process for it to be successful. ‘‘Progress on other issues will be made in tandem with progress on Jammu and Kashmir,’’ he said.Saran said the government is willing to engage all shades of opinion in J&K, including those who are not elected representatives. Aziz, who met Hurriyat leaders last night, said the Hurriyat was an ‘‘important and key group’’ in Kashmir.India also made it clear that there should be no doubt over Singh’s statements from Srinagar because they were in line with what the Prime Minister had conveyed to Musharraf in September at New York.‘‘We obviously cannot look at another division of the country on the basis of religion. We are not looking at territorial solutions. Ours is a people-centred approach. We are looking at how we can somehow ameliorate the negative consequences of the lines which have been put on the map,’’ said Saran, after delegation-level talks between the two PMs.Aziz today extended an invitation for Singh to visit Pakistan. Both PMs also held a 45-minute restricted meeting before the delegation-level talks. Aziz described his interaction with Singh as ‘‘very good’’ and ‘‘friendly’’. The dialogue process, he said, will continue with several meetings planned till February when External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh is set to visit Islamabad. Before that, Singh and Musharraf will meet at the SAARC summit.National Security Advisor J.N. Dixit, who was present at the talks, later had a one-on-one meeting for about half an hour with Aziz at a reception organised by Pakistan High Commissioner Aziz Ahmed Khan at his residence.Both countries agreed to move quickly on starting the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus and hoped differences over travelling documents would be resolved at the technical-level discussions on December 7 and 8. Islamabad has reportedly simultaneously pressed for negotiations for Jammu-Sialkot and Rajouri-Rawalkot bus services.
