Pakistani hardline religious leader and chief of Jamait-Ulema-e-Islam Maulana Fazal-ur Rehman on Saturday held long-ranging talks with Kashmir Committee headed by former Union minister Ram Jethmalani.

He said the talks were aimed at giving fresh impetus to the process of finding a 'negotiated and durable solution' to the vexed issue.

Jethmalani told PTI the meeting was reassuring for both the sides, which wanted peace and a honourable solution to the Kashmir problem.

"What is now known is that to what extent both sides will move directly for a settlement on the Kashmir issue," he said.

Rehman, who, two days ago, had opposed any third party mediation and said that Simla Agreement could be the guiding principle to solve all major problems involving Kashmir, refused to elaborate any further saying divulging of details of talks would harm the process of finding a solution.

In the meeting, Rehman was accompanied by JUI vice-president Hafeez Hussain Ahmed and parliamentarians Gul Naseeb and Qazi Hamidullah. The Kashmir Committee members included M J Akbar, Shanti Bhushan, Ashok Bhan, Javed Laiq and V K Grover.