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| | GEO Pakistan | | Indo-Pak PMs to meet in Egypt next month: FO | Updated at: 2324 PST, Thursday, June 18, 2009
 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said Thursday that following the meeting in Russia between Pakistani and Indian leadership it wants result-oriented and useful dialogue with the neighbour to resolve all issues including Jammu and Kashmir.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met in Yekaterinburg in Russia on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and decided to resume the dialogue process.
“Pakistan is a responsible country and seriously wants to resume dialogue process with India to resolve the disputes between the two countries through negotiation,” said Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit while addressing weekly briefing at Foreign Office here.
The spokesman said there were two tangible outcomes of the meeting between President Zardari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. One is the agreement to resume the dialogue process at Foreign Secretary level and the other is the consensus between the two leaders to meet again.
Abdul Basit said Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will represent Pakistan in the Non-Aligned Movement Summit being held at Shermul Sheikh next month and talk to Indian premier Manmohan there.
He said Pakistan is an active member of NAM considers it a useful opportunity to raise all issues at the summit including terrorism, extremism and issue of displaced persons and hoped that the summit would contribute significantly in promoting peace and prosperity.
The spokesman said Pakistan was not expecting any immediate resumption of dialogue between the two countries following the meeting between President Zardari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He however expressed satisfaction at the outcome of the meeting in Yekaterinburg.
The spokesman said the foreign secretaries of the two countries would meet in near future on mutually convenient dates and at a place that has not been yet decided.
Replying to a question, the spokesman dispelled the impression in Indian media that Pakistan was begging for the meeting between President Zardari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Pakistan as a responsible country always made efforts for the resumption of dialogue process with sincerity, he said.
The spokesman said Pakistan has suffered the most from extremism and terrorism, adding that in last one year there have been 22 terrorist attacks at different places in Pakistan, claiming 300 lives.
“SCO summit provided a great opportunity for Pakistan and India to break the ice and both the countries agreed to resume dialogue process at Secretary level,” he said.
The spokesman expressed the hope that the meeting between foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India will be result oriented, adding that Pakistan is looking forward to discuss all the issues including Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Siachin and Sir Creek.
Answering a question about shifting of Pakistani troops from its Eastern border to the Western frontier, the spokesman said, “It is incorrect that troops have been withdrawing from the Eastern border for deployment on the Western border.”
Replying to a question about Pakistani family arrested in Saudi Arabia on the charges of heroin smuggling, the spokesman said Foreign Office has been making sincere efforts and engaged with the Saudi embassy here and Pakistan’s missions in Riyadh and Jeddah with a request to hold the prosecution in abeyance so that the real culprits could be arrested.
Answering a question on the issue of signing Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), the spokesman said Pakistan position on this issue remains unchanged and it is not considering signing the treaty. He however said Pakistan does support Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) but still not signatory to the treaty.
Commenting on the recent statement of Israeli Prime Minister, the spokesman said Pakistan has a committed position on Palestine issue that it should be resolved in accordance with the resolutions of United Nations and with Jerusalem with its capital and the Palestinian refugees should be given the right to return.
Replying to a question the spokesman said members of Friends of Democratic Pakistan have assured Pakistan to provide full assistance and cooperation to the projects for the betterment of people in Pakistan. |  |
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