ISLAMABAD, Dec 12: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali said on Friday that Pakistan did not appreciate the Indian government’s decision to fence the LoC, “and we have taken up the issue with the Indian government.”

Addressing a press conference at the Chaklala Air Base on his return from a three-nation trip, the prime minister said he was unaware of the arrest of nuclear scientists in the country.

He told a questioner that he would talk on the issue only after going through official reports.

Reacting to Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s call for a common currency in South Asia, Mr Jamali said it was not easy, and that the European Union’s example was there.

He said Pakistan’s image abroad was improving, and it was no longer considered a country blighted by terrorism.

He said all the issues had been settled with the MMA and the LFO would be presented in parliament for approval.

Asked if there was still room for negotiations on contentious issues, the prime minister said there was no need for any further talks as everything had been settled.

When asked if the government would meet the deadline of December 18 for introducing the bill in parliament, the prime minister said December 18 “is not a doomsday” and echoed President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s remarks that deadlines should not be fixed.

He, however, said that some bellicose statements by MMA leaders were actually the “background music” and the government would not lose its sleep over such “empty threats.”

Mr Jamali said Pakistan had taken up the issue of fencing of the LoC with India.

Asked if he had talked about the issue with the Indian prime minister in his telephonic conversation, his answer was in the negative. “We do not appreciate it, and India should refrain from constructing a fence on the LoC. This is our stance,” the prime minister said.

He said that Pakistan’s peace initiative was acclaimed by all the leaders of the world whom he met in France and Switzerland.

He said: “During my visit, I realized how much the world was interested in peace in South Asia.”

He said he was thankful to the French leaders who on a short notice spared time to meet him.

He hoped that his visit would help in further cementing the defence ties between France and Pakistan. He said the two countries’ officials would meet again after the Saarc summit.

The prime minister said France and Pakistan had an identical position on the question of Iraq. He said he discussed the issue with French leaders.

The prime minister said he invited the French government to send its troops for joint exercises with Pakistan. No date was fixed for the purpose, though.