KARACHI, Feb 16: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, said on Friday that owing to initiatives for composite dialogue with India, the trust deficit between the two countries was narrowing down and hoped it would yield result.

Makhdoom Khusro was speaking on relations with India, Afghanistan, Iran and the Middle East situation, at a reception hosted by Chief of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the State Guest House, for the Consular Corps based in the city. Besides the consul generals based here, 72 honorary CGs also attended and exchanged views on how to make bilateral political and economic relations more mutually profitable.

With regard to relations with India, Makhdoom Khusro emphasised the need to address the core issue. He said out of box suggestions were needed to achieve sustainable peace in the region.

He said such initiatives were part of the strategic decision the government had taken because it believed that prosperity cannot be achieved without peace.

To a question he said that when Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri will visit India, he would take up various issues, including matters pertaining to the tri-nation gas pipeline, opening of consulates in Karachi and Mumbai and liberalising the visa regime and giving a boost to bilateral trade.

He also reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering commitment peace and stability in Afghanistan, because no country can progress if there is fighting going on in its neighborhood. “We will persevere in Afghanistan to bring stability,” he said while referring to the consequence of a nexus between the drug mafia and extremist elements.

To a question about the ongoing row between Iran and most of the Western countries over the nuclear issue, the minister of state reiterated Pakistan’s stand that Iran had the right to acquire nuclear know-how and capability but at the same time hoped Iran would abide by its international obligations.

He categorically opposed the use of force against Iran on the nuclear issue and emphasized the need for resolving the issue through dialogue and back channel diplomacy.

Mr Khusro referring to the surge in Pakistan’s economy, which had also been acknowledged by the World Bank, said the government was trying to leverage its strategic location and exploit it to make the country an energy corridor.

He claimed Pakistan was a major player in the region and said General Pervez Musharraf’s recent visit was aimed at engaging all visible and invisible players to ensure peace and stability. He emphasized that Pakistan will continue to play that role, even beyond the region.

He emphasized that peace was necessary because if that was not achieved then the Ummah from Marakesh to Bangladesh would suffer and youth fall prey to extremism.

He also referred to the curse of terrorism and sectarianism and said that the OIC foreign ministers meeting was being convened in May in Islamabad to deal with such and other crucial issues being faced by the Ummah.

The foreign office he said, was planning to bring a group of diplomats to Karachi to provide them first hand briefing on this part of the country, including culture and its economic potential.