ISLAMABAD, Aug 18: Pakistan seeks durable, sustained and result-oriented dialogue with India for the solution of bilateral issues, including the core issue of Kashmir.

This was stated by Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri during a television interview on Sunday.

Pakistan’s foreign policy, Mr Kasuri said, focuses on regional, international peace as economic progress and political stability was inter-linked.

He said that a ceasefire on army-to-army level could be implemented on the Line of Control within minutes between India and Pakistan.

Referring to Indian allegations regarding the cross-border activities, he said that so far as these allegations were concerned, Pakistan was in no position to guarantee their complete stoppage.

Pakistan, Mr Kasuri said, was doing its utmost in this regard, adding the Indians had also deployed a heavy bulk of their armed forces on the other side of the LoC.

He said that an individual, who risked his life while crossing the LoC, needed no permission from anyone.

The best way to deal with such a situation was to create optimism among the affected people, which could only be achieved by the resumption of serious dialogue between India and Pakistan, he said.

Terming the talk of results before the resumption of talks inappropriate to talk of results before the process of talks was started. However there will of course come a meeting point, acceptable to all the parties as the process moves ahead, he added.

He said that whatever the motive of Prime Minister Vajpayee’s friendship offer might be, Pakistan welcomed it as a positive step.

He said that neither India nor Pakistan can impose a decision of their choice on others regarding the Kashmir issue, adding: “There is no question of accepting LoC as permanent border by Pakistan.”

Describing the recent exchange of visits by Pak- Indian parliamentarian as being a good development, he said that it might help create conducive atmosphere for future talks, adding that bilateral issues between the two countries could only be solved through official talks.

Referring to the issue of recognizing the state of Israel, Mr Kasuri said that no decision had yet been made by Pakistan in this regard. He appreciated the ongoing debate in this regard, saying that it was a positive development in itself.

He said the recognition of Israel was linked with the progress on a viable Palestinian state.

He said that Pakistan wanted cordial relations with Afghanistan because it was in the interest of both the countries.

The foreign minister said that Pakistani forces had been deployed in the inaccessible areas along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan on the request of the Afghan and the US authorities, adding that the move had been necessitated after a gap of about 150 years.

He said that the step had been taken to curb the movement of anti-Afghan government elements.

Mr Kasuri said the charges of crossing of Pakistan’s troops into Afghan territory had been found to be incorrect by the trilateral commission.

He would soon visit Afghanistan on the invitation of the Afghan Foreign Minister, adding that misunderstandings of minor nature between the two countries would hopefully be removed.—APP