Pakistan and India begin latest round of peace talks

Senior foreign ministry officials from Pakistan and India began talks today to review progress in their peace process, started a year and a half ago to end decades of hostile relations.

Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and his Pakistani counterpart, Riaz Mohammed Khan, met at the Foreign Ministry in the Pakistan capital, Islamabad, officials said.

They were to review wide-ranging peace talks that began in early 2004. The dialogue has helped ease tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals, but has made little headway on their key dispute over Kashmir.

It was reported they would also discuss border problems and economic co-operation, and the agenda for talks when Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meet ON September 14 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York.

Pakistan and India have fought three wars since independence in 1947, two of them over the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir.

During the latest peace efforts, they have restored diplomatic ties and transportation links. They have also maintained a cease-fire along the heavily militarised Line of Control that divides Kashmir, and started a new bus service across it.

Earlier this week, the two sides agreed during talks in New Delhi to free hundreds of prisoners from each other’s jails – nearly all them thought to be fisherman and farmers who strayed across the border and found themselves accused of spying.

Pakistan complains that progress on the Kashmir dispute has been slow, although in a move likely to be welcomed by Pakistan, India this week invited moderate Kashmiri leaders for talks.