KARACHI, April 21: Describing Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s offer of dialogue a welcome change, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri expressed readiness for a “sustained, purposeful, meaningful and composite dialogue” while keeping aspirations of the Kashmiri people in mind.
He also urged the international community to help the two neighbours with nuclear capability to resolve their dispute over Kashmir and in evolving a monitoring mechanism for verifying allegations of “cross-border terrorism.”
Talking to newsmen at the Quaid-i-Azam International Airport on his return from Jeddah on Monday, Mr Kasuri asked the Indian leaders to “transform it (talks offer) into something concrete.”
He said the Saarc summit would provide a good opportunity for the two leaders to meet, adding that Pakistan would soon announce new dates for the summit.
He described the Indian prime minister’s statement “a change in tone an tenor which cannot be lost sight of. They were not off the cuff. He could not have made that statement in Kashmir without giving it a real thought.”
Mr Kasuri was of the view that Mr Vajpayee had distanced himself from aggressive statements of some of his ministers which were not well received by the international community.
The foreign minister noted that Indian prime minister’s offer for talks showed maturity of Pakistan’s stand. The international community did not like what some Indian ministers had recently said about pre-emptive strike against Pakistan.
He said that a new paradigm would be created in the region as a result of meaningful and concrete dialogue but emphasised that Kashmiris must be associated with the process.
Mr Kasuri emphasised that Kashmir was a longstanding dispute between the two countries and bypassing of the Kashmiris would not work.
On the allegations of “cross-border terrorism,” Mr Kasuri said Pakistan was doing its best to stop all forms of terrorism and urged the international community not to fall into this trap whenever this was linked with killings in the Indian occupied Kashmir.
He stressed that Pakistan was uprooting terrorism. “We need security and economic prosperity to reduce poverty. We urge international community not to fall into this (cross-border terrorism) trap. We condemn killings in Kashmir or in India. If the international community has to avoid a war in the region, it should accept Pakistan’s stand that it is controlling terrorism. We are doing our best,” he said.
He said the Indians had been using this issue to malign Pakistan and to distract world attention from its actions in Kashmir and from its own distortions.
He said despite huge and unmatched resources even the US could not eliminate the problem of terrorism completely.
“If you want peace then hold out hope to the people of Kashmir so that they do not become desperate.
“We are prepared for any kind of international mechanism on either side of the Line of Control. We will prefer the UN observers group to be strengthened. But if the Indians want representatives of six or seven countries, acceptable to both the countries, it would also be acceptable,” he said.
Replying to a question, Mr Kasuri said he would ask Mr Richard Armitage, who would soon be visiting Pakistan, to help evolve such a mechanism.
Mr Kasuri also discussed in his talks in Saudi Arabia current Iraq situation, Palestine, Kashmir and Afghanistan issues besides matters of bilateral interest.
