Pak in ARF: ‘Hope they don’t raise Kashmir’

As Pakistan today became the 24th member of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), India hoped that Islamabad would adhere to its commitment of not raising Kashmir or any other Indo-Pak issues at the Asia Pacific’s only security grouping.

Indonesia, the current chairman of ASEAN had sought and obtained an explicit assurance by Pakistan that it would not raise bilateral issues, External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh said in an interview to Jakarta Post.

‘‘This assurance paved the way for a consensus on Pakistan’s admission to the ARF, and I have every expectation that Pakistan will adhere to its commitment,’’ he said. The forum, includes US, China, Japan, two Koreas, Russia, India and the European Union along with 10 members of ASEAN. Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri was representing his country at the day-long meeting. —(PTI)