05 November 2004	Friday	21 Ramazan 1425

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DHAKA, Nov 4: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Thursday expressed the hope that the Kashmir issue would be resolved as a result of the ongoing dialogue process between Islamabad and Delhi, adding Pakistan would like all the stakeholders, including the people of Kashmir, taken on board in the final settlement of the dispute.

Speaking to editors and senior journalists of Bangladesh, the premier said he would be visiting New Delhi after two weeks to take the process of dialogue forward.

He said Pakistan's parliament was a sovereign body that had allowed General Pervez Musharraf through a legislation to retain the army chief's office till 2007, adding that Pakistan did not need to take lessons from anyone about democracy.

He said Pakistan did not need to be apologetic about its system of governance because "we are placed in a special situation and in the given circumstances General Musharraf's remaining COAS is necessary for continuation of policies".

He said former prime ministers Mian Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto had decided to live abroad, perhaps owing to legal compulsions. But, he added that their political parties at home were active in politics.

Mr Aziz kept quite when asked if without the two main politicians democracy was flourishing in Pakistan.

In reply to a question about the latest videotape of Osama bin Laden that was delivered to the Al Jazeera TV's bureau office in Islamabad, he said: "We don't know about the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, nor do we know whether he is dead or alive."

About the proposed setting up of a Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) development fund for poverty alleviation, he said in the first stage the member countries could contribute from their own resources and in the second stage international financial institutions could be approached to join the fund.

When asked about the announcement by the then Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to contribute $100 million for the Saarc fund, Mr Aziz said all issues that came under discussion at the 12th Islamabad summit in January would be reviewed in the upcoming Dhaka Saarc summit.

He said things had started moving forward and hoped that trade between Saarc countries would increase from the existing 3 per cent after transportation impediments were removed and the South Asian Free Trade Agreement was approved at the Dhaka summit.

He expressed optimism that ongoing talks between Pakistani ministers for commerce, industries, textiles and water and power and their Bangladeshi counterparts would help increase bilateral trade volume which presently stood at $250 million.

He said the two countries had also entered into a free trade agreement to promote bilateral trade.

He dismissed as rubbish the allegations levelled by Indian media about the ISI's activities in Bangladesh, adding that it might have been too old and forgotten a charge.

Answering a question about Pakistan's relations with Afghanistan, he described those ties as cordial and said Pakistan supported the reforms process in Afghanistan.

ON BOARD PLANE: Mr Aziz said his tour of three Saarc countries (Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh) had been successful, adding that he had held fruitful talks with the leaders on enhancing multiple and bilateral economic cooperation. He said the image of Pakistan had been further boosted.

Talking to newsmen on board his special plane on his back home from Dhaka, he said although Pakistan already had good friendly relations with all the three Saarc countries he had visited, his trip as Saarc chairman had helped enhance economic relations with them.

He said the focus of his discussions with the leaders of three countries remained Pakistan's initiative of composite dialogue with India.