Gilani favours talks; says India, Pak cannot afford `war`

New Delhi, Jan 28 (PTI) Pushing for resumption of
Indo-Pak dialogue, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani
Thursday said his country and India should not be held
"hostage to one incident" of 26/11 and should hold talks since
both the countries cannot "afford war".
Noting that things were "stuck" after the Mumbai terror
attacks, he said "1.25 billion people should not be made
hostage to one incident. If we are hostage to one incident
then the beneficiaries are terrorists and therefore we should
move ahead....
"I think dialogue is the only answer. We are both
responsible nations and we can move forward. We can't afford
war. I think only way forward is talks."
Describing his meeting with Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh in Sharm el-Sheikh as "very good", Gilani told
CNN-IBN in an interview that both of them "had understanding
that we both are suffering from terrorism."
"Things are stuck with the Mumbai incident, the matter is
already sub-judice with the courts. We certainly condemn
terrorism and believe that neither India nor Pakistan soil
should be used against each other....There are 101 Mumbai-like
incidents in Pakistan after that (26/11)," he said.
Gilani also denied his country's involvement in the
recent spate of attacks in India's northern state of Jammu and
Kashmir.
"There had been some irresponsible statements from the
Army Chief of India. There is a tension because of that and at
the same time that is an indigenous movement in Kashmir that
is not anything to do with Pakistan." MORE PTI