Monday, June 6 2005 13:25 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Dubai: India has turned down Pakistan's suggestion of inclusion of the Hurriyat Conference in the Indo-Pak dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmoud Kasuri has said.

President Pervez Musharraf made the suggestion when he met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi in April. "But India was hesitant, and turned it down," he said in an interview to Gulf News published today (Jun 6, 2005).

"President Musharraf suggested Kashmiris sit at the peace table, as they make up the third party," said Kasuri, who accompanied Musharraf on a visit to UAE and Qatar.

He said Pakistan has invited the Hurriyat leaders to visit and meet leaders from 'Azad Kashmir' and also those from Pakistan.

"How can you solve the Kashmir problem without involving Kashmiris? It's like any other dispute, like the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Can it be solved without Palestinian involvement?

"The Kashmiris are integral to the dialogue. Without the Kashmiris, neither India nor Pakistan can solve it," Kasuri said.