The participants agreed that Afghanistan's future should be the exclusive domain of the Afghan people and that all other countries should refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of that nation.
India and Pakistan should facilitate talks among representatives from all parts of Jammu and Kashmir in order to find an amicable solution to the dragging issue, according to participants at a recent Track-II dialogue.
The participants further agreed that Afghanistan's future should be the exclusive domain of the Afghan people and that all other countries should refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of that nation.
Opinion-makers and experts on foreign and defence issues took part in the Chaopraya Track II dialogue held in Bangkok during August 28-30.
The Pakistani side was headed by former minister Sherry Rehman and the Indian side was led by defence expert Gen (retd) Dipankar Banerjee.
The talks, organised by Jinnah Institute, a new Pakistani think tank, and India's Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, deliberated on the situation in Afghanistan as the conditions in the war-ravaged country have a direct impact on India-Pakistan ties.
At the end of the interactions, a consensus document was agreed on by the participants, Rehman said in a statement.
The participants suggested that New Delhi and Islamabad should consider activating the back-channel on Jammu and Kashmir to complement the bilateral talks.
They called on India and Pakistan to implement, in letter and spirit, the series of existing CBMs, particularly those relating to easing travel and trade across the Line of Control.
They also appealed to the two countries to urgently initiate measures to build trust and confidence among the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The participants emphasised the need for continued bilateral engagement, especially at official and functional levels.
They welcomed the forthcoming meeting of foreign ministers and expressed the hope that this would take the dialogue process forward.
To build trust and confidence, the participants recommended exchange of visits by military delegations especially at the level of services chiefs, and similar exchanges between intelligence agencies.
There was consensus among participants that both sides must "actively collaborate to facilitate the prosecution of terrorists being tried for acts of terrorism" and they proposed that the two countries must respect each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty, and refrain from interference in each other's internal affairs.
The participants said progress made on various tracks of dialogue must be shared with principal stakeholders in India and Pakistan, including major political parties.
They felt the two sides need to agree on the form and structure of their talks and noted that decisions already taken in earlier rounds of parleys need to be fully implemented.
To facilitate people-to-people contacts, the participants felt there was a need to relax visa restrictions, particularly for artistes, media, academics, business persons, students and members of civil society groups.
The two governments should urgently take up the humanitarian issue of fishermen and other prisoners languishing in each others' jails and find "workable compassionate solutions."
The participants recognised that instability in Afghanistan will have serious implications for Pakistan and India. Hence it is important for both countries to support reconciliation in Afghanistan, which is essential for stability in that country and the region.
It was agreed that the only solution to the Afghan problem is a political one. There can be no military solution.
The participants felt the aspirations of the Afghan people for stability and sovereignty should be fulfilled as soon as possible within an "Afghan-owned multi-ethnic and broad-based framework."
The dialogue agreed that a stable Afghanistan has the potential of leading to greater cooperation between India and Pakistan.
The talks began by observing a minute's silence to commiserate with victims of the devastating floods in Pakistan.
The participants expressed the hope that floods in Pakistan would lead to greater cooperation between New Delhi and Islamabad as Pakistani participants welcomed the offer of Indian humanitarian aid.
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