0
TRIESTE An unprecedented suicide bombing in Pakistani-administered Kashmir on Friday will not distract security forces from their offensive against Taliban militants, foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told Reuters.
'The militants are hurting and they are reacting. And this is a reaction to the successful operations weve had in Waziristan and weve had in the Malakand division,' Qureshi said in an interview.
'But these odd attempts will not distract us. We are focused and we know what has to be done.'
Militants have carried out a series of bomb attacks across Pakistan in recent weeks in retaliation for the militarys offensive, in which the government says about 1,600 militants have been killed in the former tourist valley of Swat.
But there had been no bombings in Pakistans part of the disputed Kashmir region until two soldiers were killed on Friday in a suicide bombing.
The army is also preparing an all-out assault against Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in his stronghold of South Waziristan.
'We cant give you a timing. But we are moving at the right speed,' Qureshi said during a trip to Trieste, Italy, where the Group of Eight industrialised countries were holding a conference on Afghanistan and Pakistan.
'We are moving in a focused manner. We are moving according to the resources available to us. We dont want to overstretch, nor do we want to give the insurgents time to escape.'
INDIA-PAKISTAN MEETING
Kashmir is at the core of a decades-old dispute between Pakistan and India, and the cause of two of their three wars since their independence from British rule in 1947.
Separatist insurgents allegedly backed by Pakistan have been fighting Indian security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir for the past 20 years, but Pakistani-administered Kashmir had been peaceful.
Qureshi met his Indian counterpart on Friday in Trieste for talks that Qureshi described as part of 'a re-engagement of the dialogue' suspended after the Mumbai attacks last November.
It was only the second meeting between senior politicians of both countries since the attacks, which killed 166 people.
'When we restart the dialogue, obviously the Kashmir issue will come under discussion, but we have other issues as well,' he said, including cooperation on 'terrorism and extremism'.
India says Pakistan must take action against militants behind the Mumbai attacks before it will resume a broader peace process that covers all issues, including Kashmir.
Asked whether Pakistan intended to prosecute militants responsible for the Mumbai attacks, Qureshi said 'We will do our utmost to take them to court, and if we can put together a legally tenable case, we would want them prosecuted and we would want them convicted.'
IRAN, NUCLEAR THREAT
Asked about unrest in Iran following its disputed presidential election, Qureshi said he did not see an immediate threat of spill-over across the shared border.
'Not immediately, but if things spin out of control, then there could be a problem. But there is no immediate threat right now,' he said.
Qureshi played down comments by an al-Qaeda leader in Afghanistan on June 21 that militants would use Pakistans nuclear weapons against the United States if they were able to get their hands on them.
'People who matter and who know the subject know what a foolproof system we have,' he said.
'Obviously al-Qaeda is going to make statements to attract attention to them. Theyre on the run and they are seeking attention, and such statements get them attention.'
