Wednesday, March 16 2005 19:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Emphasising the need for more confidence-building measures (CBMs) between India and Pakistan, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz today (Mar 16, 2005) said that the two countries should strive to resolve the Kashmir issue to cement their relations.

Aziz stated this during a meeting with visiting Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in Islamabad.

Singh who called on President Pervez Musharraf yesterday met Aziz along with his delegation and discussed India-Pak ties as well as initiatives to step up contacts between Punjabs of the two countries.

The Pakistan Prime Minister stressed the need for more confidence building measure between the two countries, the state-run PTV reported.

The Chief Minister of Pakistan's Punjab province, Pervez Elahi, was also present during the meeting.

After Singh's meeting with Musharraf yesterday, Pakistan had ordered the release of 589 Indian prisoners, they included 60 civilians, mostly from Punjab, who have completed their prison terms for entering Pakistan illegally.

Later, Singh and Elahi together laid the foundation stone for a dual carriageway, a multi-lane highway connecting Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, with Mianwala, near Wagah

The highway would enable Sikh pilgrims from India to directly travel from Wagah border to Nankana Sahib and return the same day without halting at Lahore.

After the highway is built, the travel between Wagah and Nankana Sahib would take about one-and-a-half hours, officials said.

"The road will be a source of immense convenience for Sikh pilgrims," an official advertisement published by Pakistan's Punjab province in the media said today.

The advertisement carried the pictures of both Singh and Elahi with a slogan 'Building Peace and Confidence, Every Step All the Way.'

Singh will return home through Wagah border tomorrow (Mar 17, 2005).