ISLAMABAD – Pakistan on Thursday said the meeting between Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh at the Cricket World Cup semi-final match between the neighboring countries was a win-win situation for both the states in the process of bilateral engagement. “Pakistan looks forward to a meaningful progress in the ongoing dialogue with India,” said Foreign Office spokesman Tehmina Janjua while addressing her weekly press briefing. “Pakistan does not underestimate the difficulties but it has faith and confidence for a bright future for the people of this region. Pakistan is committed to a constructive, sustained and result-oriented process of engagement with India,” she said, adding, “The dialogue is the only way forward to move towards the goal of establishing good neighborly and cooperative relations.”
Tehmina said, “Pakistan wants to move towards a comprehensive and broad-ranging engagement with India on the basis of equality, mutual trust, mutual interest and mutual respect.” She said Pakistan was looking forward to a series of meetings that were “envisaged between now and July”. “These will culminate in the meetings of the foreign secretaries and the foreign ministers of the two countries in New Delhi to take stock of the progress achieved,” she said. Tehmina said there were long-standing issues including Kashmir that needed to be addressed earnestly, with a view to finding a solution that accorded with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. She said, “Prime Minister Gilani conveyed an invitation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as Sonia Gandhi to visit Pakistan at their earliest convenience.” “In short, Mohali was a win-win for the Pakistan-India process of engagement,” she said. To a question, she confirmed that an Indonesian national suspected to be involved in Bali bombing had been arrested.
“In the case of any foreign national arrested in Pakistan, the first thing that happens is that consular access is provided to the embassy of the country of origin of the individual,” she said. “I can confirm the arrest of an individual who could be the Bali bombing suspect. It is now up to the Indonesian embassy to determine exactly who the person is.” Responding to another question, Tehmina said the issue of desecration of the Holy Quran by an American priest had been taken up at the highest level with the international community.
“Apart from a telephonic conversation between the presidents of Pakistan and Turkey, Pakistan’s permanent representative at the United Nations has taken up the issue with the UN secretary general. Our permanent envoy at Geneva has also raised the issue at the UN Human Rights Commission,” she said.
She said an invitation from Afghan President Hamid Karzai to Prime Minister Gilani to visit Afghanistan had been received and dates had been finalised. On the Libyan crisis, she said, “Pakistan wants unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Libya.” Asked whether there was a US or any other friendly country’s role in the current initiative between Pakistan and India, she said, “The focus by us is that the two sides must endeavor to take ownership of their own affairs. We do not need a third country for us to take ownership of our own affairs.”
