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Qureshi denies India stealing Pakistan's water
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday described the outcome of the latest Indo-Pak talks as more than expected and a step in the right direction, and said efforts will be made to build on it to bridge the trust deficit between the two countries.Responding to a question, he said, India was not stealing Pakistan's share of water and it is being wasted due to mismanagement.
A day after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh in Bhutan and broke the ice, Qureshi said he intends to establish contact with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna as soon as the Indian Parliament's budgetary session concludes on May 7.
He said there was no need to accord any nomenclature like 'composite dialogue' to the talks that would be held shortly, but the intent is to discuss all outstanding issues like Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek and water sharing.
"If all issues are to be discussed, whether you call it comprehensive dialogue, composite dialogue.. or whatever you want, that is not important. The spirit behind that is important, the spirit is right," he said at a press conference here.
Referring to the meeting between Singh and Gilani, Qureshi said the outcome has been "more than expected... it is a step in the right direction, a concrete development and we will build on it".
He pointed out that there has been a trust deficit between India and Pakistan and "we have to bridge it through confidence-building measures".
Acknowledging that the trust deficit cannot be bridged overnight, Qureshi said: "we have to be realistic and pragmatic. It will not happen in a day, it is a process. If we allow the process to continue, obviously with passage of time, the deficit will be narrowed down".
The two Foreign Ministers have been entrusted with the task of reducing the trust deficit, he said.
Responding to a question, he said he could find many faults in India's approach and vice versa but the two sides needed to prevent further deterioration in ties.
Courtesy www.Geo.tv