ISLAMABAD, Jan 5: Pakistan has been pursuing a policy of restraint and understanding to achieve an early breakthrough in its ongoing composite dialogue with India, but it will never compromise on its vital national interests.

This was stated by Federal Minister for Information Sheikh Rashid Ahmed at a Press briefing here on Wednesday. The minister said Pakistan had started the composite dialogue process with India with the hope that both countries would show some flexibility and reach some sort of an understanding on all issues, but if New Delhi remained inflexible on its position, Islamabad too would maintain its principled stand.

"We certainly want good relations with India but we are not ready to compromise on our rights and that the dialogue process was not started for the first time as there have been such contacts between the two countries in the past as well."

Mr Rashid said there should not be any panic or pessimism about Pakistan-India dialogue as the process was moving ahead, though slowly but steadily, and one should hope it would lead to some positive result.

In reply to a question about talks with the opposition, he said the government had been in direct and indirect contact with the opposition leadership on various levels and there was every hope that the country's political atmosphere would soon witness a positive change.

He denied reports that former Punjab chief minister and president of of PML-N had applied to the government of Pakistan seeking approval for a visa to travel to the US, but said the government would definitely consider any such request when made properly.

He said so far the government had provided relief to the opposition as a gesture of goodwill and it was premature to say how much more relief the opposition would like from the government to ensure stability in the country.

Referring to the flexibility shown recently by the government by removing the names of Hamza Shahbaz, son Shahbaz Sharif, and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari from the ECL to enable them to go abroad, the minister said the government was taking such steps in good faith and in order to create a good political environment in the country.