Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Tuesday said she hoped to have a fruitful and constructive dialogue aimed at resolving issues with her Indian counterpart SM Krishna. She was taking to reporters at the old Lahore airport before leaving for New Delhi for talks with Indian external affairs minister as part of the resumed Indo-pak dialogue process.
The foreign minister said lessons should be learnt from history, adding that both nations were responsible and must realise that dialogue was necessary for promotion of peace and development in the region. Hina said Pakistan wanted friendly relations with all its neighbours and harboured animosity towards none. Hina said the bilateral dialogue had the backing of President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, PML-Q President Shujaat Hussain as well as all opposition leaders.
Resolution: She said Pakistan believed in the resolution of the Kashmir dispute per the wishes of Kashmiri people in the light of UN resolutions, adding that Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir issue was clear to the world. Earlier, the foreign minister met Prime Minister Gilani at State Guest House to seek guidance for her tour of India. Gilani said the political leadership had reposed confidence in the initiation of dialogue process with India and assured its support and cooperation in this regard.
Meeting: After arriving in India later, the foreign minister met delegations of two factions of the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference separately at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. The meetings were part of Hina’s consultations with the Kashmiri leadership prior to her talks with the Indian foreign minister.
