End Kashmir row for peace: Pakistan envoy

The Kashmir dispute needs to be resolved to ensure "viable peace and stability in the region", Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit has said.

Basit spoke about the "importance of resolving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute" at an Iftar gathering here, a statement from the Pakistan High Commission said.

Basit said the meeting between Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan and Narendra Modi of India May 27 provided "a rare opportunity to get the bilateral dialogue process back on track and address all the bilateral disputes on the basis of mutual respect and mutual interest".

Basit said Sharif's vision of "security for development and development for security," which encompassed bilateral, regional and international dimensions, was the best way forward.

Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid here, led the prayers on the occasion.

A collective prayer was made for peace, especially for "the oppressed people living under foreign occupation", the statement said.