Talks on confidence building measures between Pakistan and India on nuclear and conventional fields will be resumed at New Delhi from next Monday. A Foreign Office spokesman recalled here on Monday that Pakistan had proposed strategic restraint regime that contained nuclear and missile restraint, conventional balance and conflict resolution.
He also believed that there will also be a discussion on notification of pre-test of missiles. On the conventional CBM, the spokesman told a questioner there were a number of proposals from both the sides, including establishment of "a hot line between the foreign secretaries of the two countries, upgradation of similar facilities between the directors-general of Military Operations, Flag meetings between the Commanders at pre-designated locations along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, pre-notification of military exercises.
There was also a proposal for reduction of Indian troops in occupied Kashmir as well as speedy return of "inadvertent crossers of the LoC".
He said the Pakistani team would be led by Tariq Osman Haider, additional secretary at the Foreign Office.
In reply to another question, the spokesman said that Professor Raymond Lafitte, the Neutral Expert of the World Bank on the dispute on Baglihar Dam, would be visiting the region in coming October.
A Pakistani team that had visited the site of the Baglihar Dam with their Indian counterparts was due to give its report this month.
Answering a question about reports that US had agreed to release two re-furbished F-16 aircraft to Pakistan, the spokesman said that there was an understanding between the two countries and more similar aircraft were expected to follow the first delivery.
He, however, declined to give an exact number that the US had promised to sell to Pakistan saying it was not possible to answer the question in specific terms.
FOREIGN STUDENTS: Without going into details or commenting on the statements of various leaders about the future of foreign students in Pakistan, he confirmed the decision to send them back to their countries.
He was asked to comment on the statement of President Musharraf that Pakistan will send back the foreign students in Madrissas and that of PML chief Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain that he would urge the government to allow the students already present here to complete their studies.
On the proposed expansion of the UN Security Council, the spokesman said that Pakistan had not committed its support to any aspirant to the permanent seats. The question had come up during the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi to Islamabad last April and Pakistan had just articulated its position that "we liked the UN to be more democratic, more authentic, more transparent and more confident", he added.
Comments
Comments are closed.