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Sunday, March 14, 2010
Pakistan won’t budge on Kashmir stance: Qureshi* Foreign minister says Islamabad has no objection to Saudi mediation
* FM to visit Saudi Arabia on April 3MULTAN: Islamabad will not budge an inch from its principled stance on Kashmir and the water issues with India, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Saturday.
Addressing a public meeting in Kaiyanpur, near Multan, he said Pakistan wanted friendly relations with India based on mutual respect and wanted to talk to Delhi on an equal basis. He also vowed not to compromise on the country’s prestige and sovereignty, adding, “We will convey our point of view during the composite dialogue”.
He said the ruling PPP-led coalition believed in serving the masses and would live up to their expectations. “It is easier to make statements and promise development rather than taking practical steps to make a difference,” he said.
He assured the audience that the menace of load shedding would soon be resolved, as the government had taken concrete measures to correct the energy deficit.
Saudi visit: Also on Saturday, the foreign minister told reporters at Multan airport he had been invited to Saudi Arabia by the Saudi foreign minister, and would be flying there on April 3.
He said Saudi leaders wanted to take Pakistan into confidence over Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent visit. He said he did not think India would seek Saudi mediation because it had always opted against third-party involvement in matters involving Pakistan.
“However, as far as Pakistan is concerned, we have no objections,” he said.
He said that India had been reiterating its stance on the Mumbai incident and that Islamabad had told them all suspects had been arrested and were on trial. “We have told them that courts in Pakistan are independent, just like India,” he added.
The minister condemned Saturday’s string of bomb blasts in Lahore, which killed around 57 people, adding that Pakistan was been facing Mumbai-like situations “every other day”. He said India had not yet made up its mind on the resumption of talks with Pakistan. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk