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ISLAMABAD, April 19: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s successful visit to India would help improve atmosphere between the two countries. Talking to parliament’s Kashmir committee chairman Chaudhry Hamid Nasir Chattha, who called on him at the prime minister’s house, Mr Aziz termed the president’s visit successful and said that the confidence-building measures undertaken by the two countries after the start of the composite dialogue had promoted positive thinking on both sides.
Pakistan, he said, believed that all issues between the two countries should be resolved through negotiations on the basis of sovereign equality and it would continue pursuing the composite dialogue with the same spirit.
He said Kashmiri people were stake holders in the Kashmir dispute and the issue would be resolved in line with the wishes and aspirations of the people of the troubled territory.
The prime minister said that ongoing talks between the two countries augured well for peace in the region, which was fundamental to prosperity and progress of the two peoples.
Mr Chattha apprised the prime minister of the opinion that had emerged in the committee about the resolution of the issue.
He mentioned various initiatives the committee had undertaken for highlighting the Kashmir issue at the international level.
OVERSEAS PAKISTANIS: Meanwhile, the prime minister, while talking to Labour and Manpower Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, said that expatriate Pakistanis were an asset of the nation.
He asked the ministry to facilitate the Pakistani workers in finding jobs and enhancing their skills.
The premier said the country needed to make good use of modern skills in order to make Pakistani manpower more competitive in the world labour market.
The labour minister infor-
med the premier on various
initiatives his ministry had taken to redress the gri-
evances of expatriate Pakistanis.
LAW REFORMS: Talking to Federal Law and Justice Minister Wasi Zafar, the prime minister said he was hopeful that the first phase of law reforms would prove to be an important milestone towards dispensation of quick and inexpensive justice.
He said the government was determined to protect the rights of the weak and underprivileged sections of society and would continue to strive for upholding the rule of the law in the country.
