October 13, 2008	Monday	Shawwal 13, 1429

MULTAN, Oct 12: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that Pakistan will continue to work with the US in the war against terror, regardless of the result of the US presidential election next month.

Talking to journalists at Multan Airport on Sunday, the minister said the government was holding talks with tribesmen to restore peace in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

He said an all-party committee would be constituted to evolve national consensus on the issue.

He said the matter could only be resolved with consensus; discussion was under way in parliament and all important leaders had been briefed on the situation.

Mr Qureshi said the governments of Pakistan and India had decided to allow trade between the two parts of Jammu and Kashmir and the trading would begin on Oct 21.

He said Pakistan was respecting the Indus Water Treaty and India should do the same. He said India was not building any new dam on the Chenab.

He said Water Commissioner Jamaat Ali Shah was going to India on Tuesday to discus water-related issues. Replying to a question, he said the government would not reduce petroleum prices until the rates in the international market stabilised.