[India News]: New Delhi, Mar 10 : A joint economic development council of Jammu and Kashmir to promote trade, investment and joint ventures between India and Pakistan can go a long way in solving the long standing dispute between the two nations, a premier Indian think tank has suggested.

The Council must set rules for a fast track visa process with visa windows in Srinagar and Muzaffarabad to benefit Kashmiris on both sides who have bona fide business or family interest, says the report brought out by the Mumbai-based International Centre for Peace Intiatives.

Social thinker Sundeep Waslekar, who heads the think tank, told a press conference here that the flow of drug dealers, criminals and terrorists could be restricted by converting the Line of Control into a Line of Cooperation which will be jointly patrolled by Indian and Pakistani troops Waslekar, in the report titled The Final settlement - restructuring India Pakistan relations -suggests that water needs to be managed as a commodity and it was essential to set up a body to identify both long and short term supply capacity of the Indus basin and its integrated development.

"A solution to the dispute between India and Pakistan cannot be attained through secret negotiations carried out by ambitious men but only by taking a realistic view of ground realities," Waslekar said.

For this, he suggested a complete change in the mindset and putting an end to physical and psychological hostilites in both the countries.

"Till now the idea was to try and reach a deal using secret negotiations but we should have representatives of different groups have a consensus on the principles. PTI.