Pakistan on Friday said it would respond to the suggestions it recently received from India for resolution of the Kashmir issue.
'When our neighbours live in peace, we live in peace'
"We have recently received suggestions from the Indian side and we would be responding to them so as to move the peace process forward and help progress towards a settlement of the (Kashmir) dispute," the Pakistan Foreign Office said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said in Srinagar on Thursday that India was awaiting Pakistan's response to some concrete suggestions which the country had made.
A statement issued by the Foreign Office in Islamabad said Pakistan welcomed Dr Singh's commitment to resolve all outstanding issues, including the Kashmir problem.
"We have also noted several positive elements in Dr Singh's remarks in Srinagar on Thursday, especially relating to zero tolerance to human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir," it said.
The statement said that President Pervez Musharraf had also offered concrete ideas to resolve the Kashmir issue in the past.
Maintaining that both countries should seize the opportunity of improved ties and conducive international environment to resolve the Kashmir issue, it said, "We have always emphasised the need for moving beyond the confidence-building measures and to have focussed discussions for resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and also involving the Kashmiri leadership with the peace process."
India, Pak make progress on Sir Creek
"We also agree that there should be greater interaction between people across the Line of Control. It was in pursuance of President Musharraf's proposal that the two sides have agreed on five crossing-points. Both sides should work together to facilitate interaction, especially among the divided Kashmiri families," the Foreign Office statement said.
"The commencement of the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar truck service is similarly a positive development, as are the bus services between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar and Rawalakot and Poonch," it added.
It said besides Kashmir, Pakistan was committed to resolve all outstanding issues with India.
"We are making efforts for this purpose and it was in this spirit that we were looking forward to the talks on Siachen and Sir Creek. The statement by the Indian prime minister last March had given rise to some optimism, but it did not materialise at the Siachen talks," it said, referring to the lack of progress in the just-concluded Defence Secretary-level talks in New Delhi.
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