KARACHI, Nov 21: President Gen Pervez Musharraf said on Tuesday he was looking forward to a `substantive meeting’ with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, adding that ties between the two countries should grow on the principle of simultaneous confidence building and conflict resolution.
“We want to fully develop relations with India but not without conflict resolution,” he said while talking to reporters at the Expo Centre where 2006 exhibition of military hardware is being held.
The president expressed theHH hope that talks on the issues of Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek to be held with the Indian prime minister during his forthcoming visit would lead to improvement in Indo-Pakistan ties.
He said he was not disappointed with the pace of negotiations with India, adding that these were moving in the right direction and would improve in the future.
Gen Musharraf said he had received positive feedback on the Ideas 2006 exhibition where 90 per cent of the world’s arms manufacturers are represented.
He said that the interest shown by the world community in the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (Ideas) would help boost exports of Pakistan’s defence products.
“We are trying that our major products like Al Khalid tank, Super Mashak and other such equipment are marketed properly because that would give a quantum jump to defence-related exports,” he said.
Gen Musharraf also spoke about his meetings with nine foreign delegations, who, he said, had evinced keen interest in the defence products of Pakistan.
