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| Wednesday, 18 February 2004 |
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India to release eight Pakistanis in goodwill gesture NEW DELHI,Tuesday (AFP) India announced the release of eight Pakistani prisoners as it expressed optimism over the two countries' first talks in two years which opened in Islamabad. Indian foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said the eight to be freed were all Pakistanis who strayed into Indian territory, including four Pakistani boys detained at Faridkot in the northern state of Punjab. "As part of the prime ministers peace initiative we have been progressively taking up these cases, we have been granting consular access and once nationality has been confirmed, they have been repatriated," Sarna told reporters. "I am quite optimistic about the talks we are beginning today," Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha said after a meeting with an EU delegation including External Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten. "As you are aware these are a preliminary round ... and we are discussing issues related to the agenda, level of talks, the time frame" for the start of more wide-ranging talks, Sinha said. "I am quite confident that on these issues a lot of work has been done and it will not be very difficult to reach a conclusion," he said. The talks are expected to include discussion of Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed in full by both. Sinha reiterated that India rejects any third-party mediation over Kashmir, saying the dispute would best be resolved bilaterally between India and Pakistan. |
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