KASHMIR IN FOCUS - 2003-05-09

Asia Times - Recently, Prince Karim visited both India and Pakistan, where he met with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and President General Pervez Musharraf. During both meetings he stressed the need for a practical solution on Kashmir, as well as confidence-building measures between the two countries. It is perhaps no coincidence, then, that soon after the prince's visits, the flurry of exchanges between Delhi and Islamabad has resulted in the countries expressing the desire to resume road, rail and air links, as well as top-level diplomatic ties and softer visa regulations to make it easier for divided families to reunite.