Indian PM's statement matches Pak's point of view: Islamabad

Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Aug 1 (PTI) Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah
Mehmood Qureshi Saturday welcomed Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh's statement favouring dialogue between the two
countries and said it matched Islamabad's point of view.

Singh's statement, made earlier this week in the Indian
parliament, was a "positive development", Qureshi said. "It
matches Pakistan's point of view and our federal cabinet
issued a statement in support of this gesture," he told
reporters in his hometown of Multan.

Intervening in a parliamentary debate on the Indo-Pak
joint statement issued in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Singh said on
Wednesday it was "in our vital interest to make sincere
efforts to live in peace with Pakistan" and emphasised that
India wanted good relations with the neighbouring country.

Responding to questions about India's acquisition of
sophisticated weapon systems, Qureshi said Pakistan does not
want to indulge in an arms race in the region but is "fully
alive" to its defence needs.

Pakistan has confidence in its defence capabilities and
nuclear balance exists in the region, he said.

Qureshi said he would meet his Indian counterpart on the
sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York in
September.

Replying to another question, he said the Kashmir issue
is a priority of the Pakistan government and a cornerstone of
the country's foreign policy.

"It is one of the eight segments of the composite
dialogue and the whole world recognises it as an issue that
needs to be resolved," he said.

In response to a question regarding India's alleged
involvement in fomenting unrest in Balochistan, Qureshi said
this is a sensitive issue and "diplomatic channels should be
preferred to address it". Issuing media statements on the
issue will not be in the interest of both countries, he added.

Dialogue should be preferred to resolve problems between
India and Pakistan so that they could focus on socio-economic
development, he said.

The recent meeting between Prime Minister Yousuf Raza
Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh in Sharm
el-Sheikh was a positive development, he added. PTI RHL
DDC
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