Pak-India Dialogue Should Be Resumed: MusharrafPakistani President Pervez Musharraf said Sunday in Islamabad that Pakistan and India should resume dialogue by reviving the format agreed upon during the Agra summit in mid July this year.Speaking at a joint press conference here after holding talks with visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Musharraf said India is exercising persistent hostility against Pakistan so as to seek hegemony and role of a regional power. The Kashmir issue, he said, must be resolved in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people, as laid down in the U.N. resolutions. In the wake of the September 11 terror attacks in the United States, India has tried to create tension in the region by deploying troops, said Musharraf, adding that "The Indian designs could cause incalculable harm." Pakistan desires durable peace and stability in South Asia, he said. Speaking on the occasion, the German Chancelor said that he was going to India where if asked his reply would be similar i.e."Not only Pakistan, but international community has a vested interest in the resolution of the Kashmir issue," and that "a progress can only be made if we go back to Agra." Schroeder said Pakistan had taken "a bold and strong" stand after the September 11 terror attacks on the U.S. "We agree, and are convinced, that a comprehensive response is needed to duly tackle the issue of international terrorism," he added. Following the ongoing military action in Afghanistan, he said it was imperative to undertake a full-scale reconstruction and rehabilitation work. He said Germany had to play a substantive role with regard to the matter of aid and assistance to the Afghan refugees. Earlier, the two leaders held talks for two and a half hours on the current Afghan crisis, bilateral relations as well as south Asian regional peace and security. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |