Pak says talks only way forward; seeks resumption of CD

Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Feb 26 (PTI) Seeking resumption of the stalled
composite dialogue, Pakistan Friday insisted that talks are
the only way forward as "wars are not the solution" and said
it has presented to India some proposals for high-level
parleys and a roadmap to move ahead the process.
"There should be composite dialogue. Dialogue is the only
answer and wars are not the solution," Prime Minister Yousuf
Gilani told reporters on the sidelines of an official function
in Karachi.
"Therefore, we want to have talks with India but these
should be meaningful and the core issues should be addressed,"
he said.
Referring to Thursday's Foreign Secretary-level talks
between the two countries, Gilani said Pakistan want good
relations and friendly ties with India and all its neighbours,
including Afghanistan.
Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, who returned to Pakistan
Friday after his meeting with his Indian counterpart Nirupama
Rao, too called for the resumption of the composite dialogue,
saying open-ended talks or engagement would not yield any
benefits.
Describing his meetings with Rao and External Affairs
Minister S M Krishna as "exploratory" in nature, he said
Pakistan had presented some proposals for more high-level
meetings and a roadmap for taking forward the talks process.
"(The India side) did not reject or accept (this
roadmap). Probably they need time," he said.
"We told the Indian side very clearly that Pakistan
believes it is necessary to resume the composite dialogue as
soon as possible," Bashir said at the Wagha border after
crossing over from India.
"There will be no benefit from an open-ended dialogue.
If we hold talks without any agenda or with an open agenda it
will have some benefits but we cannot take any firm steps to
move forward," he told reporters.
Pakistan believes that if the composite dialogue is
"revived from where it was left off, it would be a big
confidence-building and trust-building measure," Bashir said.
At the same time, he said, there is a need for India
to "revisit" its position of focussing solely on terrorism and
the 2008 Mumbai attacks in talks and blaming Pakistan for all
its problems.
"This negative perception of Pakistan is not based on
facts. We told them this very clearly. They should revisit
facts as terrorism is a world and regional issue. Don't blame
everything on Pakistan," Bashir said. PTI RHL
KAB