Tag: Dialogue

SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry has termed the 5th round of secretary-level talks between Pakistan and India to push commercial ties a step...

ISLAMABAD - In a major development in the Afghan peace process, Pakistan's top political and military leadership will hold an important meeting with President Hamid Karzai and other Afghan leaders in Kabul today (Saturday) to pave the way for a conclusive dialogue between the Karzai government and the Taliban, with Islamabad also playing the central role of facilitator.
In an unprecedented move, Pakistan's top political and military leadership will be present in Kabul today with

ANKARA - Pakistan and Turkey voiced support for initiatives to stabilise conflict-torn Afghanistan on Wednesday, including efforts for dialogue with the Taliban.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Turkish President Abdullah Gul made the pledges in response to a question on whether Ankara had agreed to host a representation office for the Taliban and whether Islamabad would be ready to help any dialogue process.
"2011 is a very critical year for Afghanistan... as the foreign

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and the United States have agreed to hold the next round of bilateral "strategic dialogue" that was put on hold in the wake of a diplomatic row between Islamabad and Washington over the detention of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) contractor Raymond Davis, who was arrested in Lahore for killing two Pakistanis in January.
With Davis' release and the end of the US-Pakistan row over his detention, the Obama administration has given its nod to the next round of

MOSCOW - Russia said on Monday it was open to dialogue with the Taliban in Afghanistan, Interfax reported, echoing the US position aimed at ensuring regional stability as Washington prepares to pull out its troops. Russia fears the withdrawal of 100,000 US troops, scheduled to begin in July, will leave a power vacuum in Afghanistan, allowing militants to filter into the oil and gas-producing countries of former Soviet Central Asia.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI called Sunday for immediate peaceful dialogue in Libya saying he was concerned about the safety of civilians there and urged "reconciliation" across the Middle East.
"I launch a heartfelt appeal to international organisations and those with political and military responsibilities to immediately launch a dialogue that will suspend the use of arms," he told pilgrims in the Vatican. "Faced with the ever more dramatic news coming from Libya, my

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Wednesday that dialogue was the only way forward for normalisation of relations between Pakistan and India and wars were no solution to their decades-old problems.
"My government would like to continue working with the government of India to resolve all outstanding issues peacefully [and] in a just manner," Gilani said while talking to an Indian peace delegation led by journalist Kuldip Nayar at PM's House. The PM appreciated

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People's Party-Sherpao (PPP-S) President Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Friday demanded the PPP led government to constitute a national peace commission for holding dialogue with militants, as negotiation was the only way to restore peace in the country. "Military operations are not the only way to wipe out terrorism, the government should take political initiatives," Sherpao said in a press conference at the National Press Club (NPC).
"American forces are now

ISLAMABAD - Speakers on Monday stressed that government must focus on eradication of root causes of extremism and terrorism including poverty, lack of education, unemployment and injustice, in order to bring normalcy in the country. They said after the military operations in different tribal areas there was dire need to make immediate plan for the abolishment of poverty, illiteracy, injustice, unemployment and unresolved political disputes because all the elements collectively give

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Friday offered talks to all those militants who were ready to surrender to tribal agents. Responding to the points raised by Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao during debate on the law and order in the National Assembly, Gilani said, "We are ready to hold talks with them. We are ready to bring them into mainstream."
He reiterated the government's resolve to continue pursuing the policy of 3Ds, dialogue, development, deterrence, assuring

ATHENS - Greek police clashed with protesters on Wednesday as around 100,000 workers, pensioners and students marched to parliament in protest at austerity policies aimed at helping Greece cope with a huge debt crisis. Riot police fired scores of rounds of teargas and flash bombs at protesters hurling petrol bombs, choking the main Syndagma square with smoke and sending crowds of striking protesters running for cover.
Public and private sector employees' 24-hour strike grounded

THIMPHU - The foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan on Sunday affirmed the need to carry the dialogue process between the two countries forward. In a meeting in Bhutan, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and his Indian counterpart, Nirupama Rao also agreed on the need for a constructive bilateral dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues.
According to a press release, the meeting was held in "pursuance of the mandate given by the prime ministers of India and Pakistan,

LAHORE - In an attempt to explore all available options to the ongoing economic crisis, the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is holding an economic dialogue today. Leading economic experts, policy makers and business leaders will give their insights on how to introduce transparency in decision making in the government and the private sector.
The decision to initiate an economic dialogue has been taken as the gap revenue and expenditure has grown, increasing the

ISLAMABAD - Parliamentarians, intellectuals and opinion makers in Pakistan and India on Sunday urged the two countries to launch a meaningful dialogue on Kashmir and all other issues without further delay, cautioning that the absence of sustained engagement on conflicting matters would prove counterproductive and dangerous.
"The absence of a formal and sustained engagement on the full range of issues confronting India and Pakistan is unhealthy, counterproductive and dangerous. We

ISLAMABAD - National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza on Wednesday reiterated the need for engaging parliamentarians from the East and the West into interfaith dialogues to create better understanding between nations and religions.
According to a press release issued here on Wednesday, while addressing the 2nd Extraordinary Session of the Parliamentary Union of Islamic Countries (PUIC) in Abu Dhabi, UAE, she said that for a peaceful world, peaceful co-existence among the nations

WASHINGTON - The US encourages dialogue between India and Pakistan in order to ensure stability in South Asia, the White House said on Thursday.
"The president (Obama) recognises that India is an important partner and certainly critical in the region, and that in order to ensure stability in South Asia, we wanted to encourage dialogue between India and Pakistan," Mike Hammer, spokesman of the National Security Council, told foreign journalists in New York and Washington, at a

ISLAMABAD - In response to India's fresh invitation to Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to visit New Delhi for the revival of Indo-Pak dialogue, Pakistan has made it clear that this important trip would take place only if India agrees on a "comprehensive agenda" for talks on all issues, including Kashmir.
Nonetheless, Pakistan has accepted the Indian offer of holding a foreign secretaries' meeting on the sidelines of upcoming SAARC Foreign Secretaries Conference slated to be