Pakistan sends rapprochement message

In what could be seen as rapprochement effort by Pakistan after guns went blazing on the border soon after the Ufa talks, its high commissioner Abdul Basit on Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan's desire to build friendly contacts with India.

Holding an Eid Milan party in New Delhi for Kashmiri separatist leaders, Basit said that Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif is very positive in building contacts with India. He wants both the countries to complement each other.
"We want that all disputes should be resolved through dialogue. We want peace in the subcontinent," said Basit.

Incidentally, Basit's Eid Milan invitation was spurned by key separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani of Hurriyat Conference and Yasin Malik's JKLF. Besides these two all the separatist leaders of Kashmir led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq were present on the occasion.

Mirwaiz who held talks Basit along with other separatist leaders, said there is a widespread disillusionment in Kashmir regarding Ufa talks and hoped that Ufa "mistake" will be rectified.

Mirwaiz said that Pakistan's diplomatic, moral and political support to the Kashmir movement will continue.

He affirmed that peace in South Asia is dependent on resolution of Kashmir and appealed India to keep its eyes and mind open.