AGENCY
Islamabad: Settling the Kashmir issue should not be a pre-condition for holding talks between India and Pakistan, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Tuesday as he asked the two nations not to allow non-state actors and other pressure groups to derail the peace process.
He also asked Pakistan to speed up the investigation into the 2nd January Pathankot attack which India has blamed on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militant group. “Settling the Kashmir issue should not be a precondition for starting the dialogue process,” Hammond, who is here on a day-long visit, said during a joint press conference with Pakistan Premier’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz.
“I urge both Pakistan and India not to allow non-state actors and other pressure groups to derail the peace process,” he said.
