ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office welcomed on Thursday the upcoming meeting between foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India and said the opportunity would help resume suspended dialogue and promote bilateral cooperation.

“It will be our desire to work together where we find common ground and common benefit and to resolve differences where we have disagreements and disputes,” Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said.

He was speaking to journalists a day after Pakistan and India announced that their foreign secretaries would meet on August 25 in Islamabad to carry forward the dialogue process.

Mr Chaudhry said that during the meeting with his Indian counterpart Sujatha Singh he would discuss the revival of the dialogue process covering all issues of concerns, including Kashmir.

“We will discuss the resumption of the dialogue process to improve bilateral ties and address all outstanding issues, including Kashmir,” he said in reply to a question.

Pakistani, Indian secretaries to meet on Aug 25

He confirmed that the Indian foreign secretary had during the telephonic conversation with him on Wednesday raised the issue of ceasefire violations along the Working Boundary and the Line of Control (LoC), but contested the Indian allegations.

“My response was that we have accurate information from the Military Operations Directorate about the exact fire that was received by our posts from across the LoC. Our troops fired only in response. We do not accept that there was any infiltration attempt,” he said.

Hostilities along the LoC last year led to suspension of the peace dialogue. The frequency of violations reduced significantly after a meeting between the directors general of military operations (DGMOs) of Pakistan and India in Lahore in December.

Mr Chaudhry said the DGMOs mechanism for defusing the situation along the LoC was working well.

He underscored the importance of the UN Military Observers Group (UNMOGIP) as provider of “credible information” to the UN Security Council and said Pakistan would continue to support the observers’ mission, which monitors the ceasefire along the LoC.

The foreign secretary said Pakistan was concerned that the UNMOGIP was facing administrative issues in Delhi and appealed to the Indian government to facilitate the mission in carrying out its task mandated by the Security Council.

The Indian government had earlier this month removed the UNMOGIP from the building housing its offices.

Spokesman for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs Syed Akbaruddin had then said: “The decision was consistent with India’s longstanding view that UNMOGIP has outlived its relevance.”

GAZA: Foreign Secretary Chaudhry said Pakistan was deeply appalled at the “carnage in Gaza” perpetrated by Israel. Pakistan, he said, would continue to seek an end to the hostilities.

“It is important that the blockade of Gaza is ended, its border opened and Palestinian prisoners are released,” he said, adding that Pakistan had asked the UN Security Council adopt a resolution seeking an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, halting Israeli air, ground and naval offensive and removal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

AFP adds: “The blockade of Gaza must be ended in order to allow access of any humanitarian assistance,” Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said at the press briefing.

“And that is why even in the UN Security Council and later in UN Human Rights Council we called for humanitarian pauses. Unless this blockade is lifted we cannot send any relief assistance,” he added.

Mr Chaudhry said the Israeli military offensive had led to the killings in Gaza of “innocent non-combatant and unarmed Palestinians, including women and children”.

“We have spoken clearly and unambiguously in the United Nations Security Council yesterday and call for an end to hostilities and to revive the peace talks.”

He said Pakistan was also actively working with Muslim and like-minded countries to secure humanitarian access to those who were badly wounded and stranded in the shelters.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2014