New Delhi: Pakistan on Wednesday said that it is ready to show flexibility to resolve the Kashmir issue, but wanted India to respond first.
Ahead of the meeting with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Muhammad Khan said that Pakistan expects the peace process with India to further intensify.
"We have always maintained that the time has come when the two countries should be able to resolve issues than simply learn to live with them," Khan told PTI.
According to the Foreign Secretary Islamabad is willing to discuss a forward movement on the talks to pull out troops from Siachen.
The troops were deadlocked over Pakistan's reluctance in meeting India's demand to authenticate the troops positions of both the armies.
Khan also said never had there been such sustained and focused discussions between India and Pakistan as in the last two and half years.
"Some ideas were exchanged by the two countries on Siachen during last month's Foreign Secretary level talks in New Delhi,” he added.
Khan's comments come close on the heels of President Pervez Musharraf advocating a four-point formula.
Musharraf’s formula was to make no change in boundaries of Kashmir, to make borders and the LoC irrelevant, to have staggered demilitarisation and have autonomy or self-governance with a joint supervision mechanism.
“Pakistan for its part made serious effort to resolve the Siachen issue which, if resolved, would be an important confidence-building measure," He told to PTI.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said India welcomed all new ideas aimed at resolving the issue.
Khan also strongly defended the recent statement by Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam that Pakistan has never claimed Kashmir as its part.
Her comments made in the context of clarification of Musharraf's offer in a TV interview that Pakistan was willing to give up its demand to hold plebiscite in Kashmir.
"Pakistan is prepared to show (flexibility) provided India also does the same. But the most important aspect in the pursuit of any negotiated settlement is that it must be acceptable to the people of Kashmir,” he said.
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