Pakistan and India talks rescheduled for July 18

Pakistan and India will hold talks on Kashmir-related confidence-building measures in Islamabad on July 18, officials said on Sunday. The talks, scheduled to be held on July 10, had been postponed on India’s request as an Indian official who was to lead the Indian side has gone to Afghanistan in the wake of the suicide attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul.

Officials said the meeting of the working group on cross-Line of Control confidence-building measures had been postponed as Joint Secretary T.C.A Raghavan had gone to Kabul. Raghavan was to lead the Indian side at the meeting.

Director General (South Asia) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will lead Pakistan’s delegation. Representatives of the concerned ministries of both the countries will also be part of the delegations.

The two countries are expected to discuss new Kashmir-related CBMs during the meeting of the working group, including modalities for intra-Kashmir trade and the launch of a truck service between Srinagar in the Indian-occupied Kashmir and Muzaffarabad in Azad Kashmir.

Lists of items to be traded through the truck service will also be discussed during the meeting. It would also review the existing bus services and measures to expand and facilitate travel between the two parts of Kashmir, sources said. The first meeting of the working group was held in New Delhi in May 2006.