India-Pak. Dialogue:-
- Major political parties and the Hurriyat in Jammu and Kashmir expressed support for a Kashmir-centric dialogue between India and Pakistan, welcoming the intent for “constructive engagement” expressed by the former and “uninterrupted dialogue” by the latter.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a letter to his newly sworn-in Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan has called for constructive engagement with Pakistan expressing India’s commitment to build good neighbourly relations between India and Pakistan and pursue meaningful and constructive engagement for the benefit of the people of the region. India’s call for engagement comes in the backdrop of recent Indian insistence that Delhi will hold talks only if Pakistan acts against terror suspects and outfits.
- Qureshi, in his first remarks after taking charge, said he would remove the trust deficit with neighbours and try to build new bridges.
Kashmir backs the dialogue:
- Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, described Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s letter to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s remarks of “uninterrupted dialogue on Kashmir” as “a positive development”.
- “It reflects new positivity. We hope that the channels of communication will remain open to build trust. It is in the interest of Kashmir and also in the interest of the entire region if the two countries come closer and resolve the long-pending Kashmir dispute,” he told.
- Peoples Democratic Party leader said the two countries had made an encouraging beginning by speaking of talks.