Separatist leaders in J-K hope for improvement in Indo-Pak relations

Separatist leaders in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday hoped for improvement in the relations between New Delhi and Islamabad as PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif took over as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik said that being a Kashmiri, Nawaz Sharif should understand the problems of the people of Kashmir and try to bring a solution to the issue as soon as possible.

"Being a Kashmiri, my request to the new Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, is that as he his himself a Kashmiri so he should understand the pain of the people of Kashmir. Four generations have already been destroyed. The people of Kashmir don't want this issue to go on from generations to generations. So, they only want that this issue to be resolved on priority basis according to their will," said Malik.

Shabir Ahmad Shah, the founder and president of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party, on his part said the

problem of Pakistan can be resolved through dialogue.

"Dialogue is the only correct way by which Pakistan can come out of this problem and we hope that those people who have complains will also give a positive response and Nawaz Sharif would try to solve them," said Shah.

Nawaz Sharif was administered oath by Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari earlier in the day. Earlier, he was elected leader of the Pakistan National Assembly. He secured 244 votes out of total house membership of 342.

Nawaz Sharif has become the first person to be elected to the office of Prime Minister for a third time.

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, had earlier on May 31 said that both he and Nawaz Sharif want to take bilateral relations between the two Asian neighbours forward and resolve all outstanding issues in a peaceful manner.

Dr. Singh, who was interacting with the media onboard his special aircraft Air India One while returning home after his successful two-nation visit to Japan and Thailand, said both leaders had invited each other to visit their respective nations, but added that the dates for this have not been fixed as yet.

"I rang up Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the very first day when the election results were coming out. I conveyed my congratulations to him and I reciprocated his sentiments that India-Pakistan relations should move forward. I also invited him to visit India," Dr. Singh said.

"He also invited me to visit Pakistan. There is an invitation from the Government of Pakistan for me to visit Pakistan. There is no firm decision on either side. No dates have been fixed, but we would certainly like to have good neighbourly relations with Pakistan," he added.