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No proposal from India
on future talks: Pak

K J M Varma in Islamabad

Pakistan on Thursday denied it had received any proposals for a "broad framework" to continue talks with India and said it would not raise the Kashmir issue in SAARC, but would continue to articulate its views on the subject in the United Nations.

Reacting to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's statement in the Rajya Sabha that a framework for talks with Pakistan had been worked out, foreign office spokesman Riaz Mohammad Khan said Pakistan has not received any such proposal from India.

Khan told reporters in Islamabad that Pakistan would not raise the Kashmir issue in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation due to principles of SAARC charter.

Asked by reporters whether it would raise the issue in the UN, Khan said Pakistan would continue to articulate its views on Kashmir in UN fora.

"Also," Khan said, "Pakistan's position that Kashmir must occupy central place in any dialogue between the two countries remained the same."

He, however, said Pakistan was willing to hold talks on other issues as well.

PTI

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