Wednesday, August 10 2005 17:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Pakistan has claimed that infiltration of militants across the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir has largely been controlled, if not completely stopped.

It also said that India and Pakistan made "substantial progress" in the just-concluded talks on conventional and nuclear Confidence Building Measures in New Delhi.

"Pakistan has controlled (infiltration) to a large extent but it is not proper to blame Pakistan for what is happening," Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri told the media here last night, responding to questions on charges of continued infiltration of militants into Jammu and Kashmir.

He said that Indian military officials and politicians have admitted that the infiltration has been reduced. "If full control of infiltration was easy, then why India was not able to control it. If it was easy then why America not able to control the Mexico border."

Kasuri said the two countries made "substantial progress" on the talks on nuclear and conventional CBMs. However, durable peace is possible between the two countries when the Kashmir issue is resolved, he said.

"Unless Kashmiris are included in the process, no solution could be found which is acceptable first to Kashmiris and then to Pakistan and India," he said, adding it has been conveyed to India too.

"I think there is progress (on the Kashmir issue). The visit to Pakistan of (separatist) Kashmiri delegation is a progress. It was not a minor thing. Many leaders came to Pakistan. Two years ago no one could expected that Kashmiris would be allowed to visit Pakistan," he said.