ISLAMABAD, Sept 9 Pakistan is capable of protecting its interests if India carries out nuclear tests, says Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

He was talking to reporters at the Foreign Office here on Wednesday evening.

When asked how Pakistan would respond if India carried out nuclear tests, Mr Qureshi said “We ... will analyse the situation and follow a policy that suits our interests”.

About Pakistan-India relations, the foreign minister said Pakistan sincerely wanted “forward movement ... is possible only through dialogue”.

The foreign minister said he was ready to engage with his Indian counterpart and expressed hope that he might meet him in New York this month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.

He said he had invited the Kashmiri leadership on both sides of the Line of Control to discuss the matter.

Mr Qureshi said he would take up the issue of India's involvement in Balochistan and elsewhere during talks.

He said he had convened two inter-ministerial meetings this week to analyse the situation emerging after elections in Afghanistan.

The second meeting would propose the direction that Pakistan should take during engagement with India, especially on Kashmir issue, he added.

He said it would be a non-starter if Kashmiris were not included in talks. He said it was necessary to involve the Foreign Office even in 'track-two' diplomacy to “ensure institutional memory”.—APP