Islamabad: Observing that involvement of Kashmiri representatives in the peace process will enable "manoeuvrability" for India and Pakistan to take the peace process forward, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri today (Feb 19, 2004) said the two countries should stop "playing favourites" among the Kashmiri leaders to find a satisfactory solution to the Kashmir issue.

"We should encourage contacts between Kashmiris on both sides of the LoC (Line of Control) with Governments in New Delhi and Islamabad without exception," Kasuri said in a wide-ranging interview, a day after the two sides agreed on a roadmap to resume the composite dialogue process on Kashmir and other issues.

However, he said involvement of Kashmiri representatives was "not a pre-condition. This is only a sensible and logical way of looking at it. I am not saying this is the time they should be involved. But common sense would suggest that sooner rather than later" this should be done.

"It does not mean that you have favourites that you will talk to Ansari (Hurriyat faction led by Abbas Ansari) and not to Geelani (of rival Hurriyat faction). That applies to Pakistan also. We should stop playing favourites," he said.

His comments came a day after President Pervez Musharraf spoke of inclusion of Kashmiri leaders in the peace talks after the meeting between the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan later this year.