Talks for the sake of talks serves no purpose: Pakistan

March 03, 2010 20:59 IST

Tags: Yousuf Raza Gilani, Pakistan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Manmohan Singh, Organisation of the Islamic Conference

Even as it insisted that dialogue is the only way forward to resolve all issues with India [ Images ], Pakistan said on Wednesday that "engaging in talks for the sake of talks would serve no purpose" and asked New Delhi [ Images ] to change its "Cold War mindset".

"We raise our hopes and then disappoint ourselves," Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani [ Images ] told Geo News channel, referring to the February 25 talks between Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao [ Images ] and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir in New Delhi. However, he said, dialogue is the "only way forward."

Separately, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said during a meeting with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store in Islamabad [ Images ] that Pakistan wanted its ties with India to normalise "by resolving bilateral disputes through a sustained and meaningful dialogue process."

However, "engaging in talks for the sake of talks would serve no purpose," he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Foreign Office.

Qureshi said "India had to change its approach vis-à-vis Pakistan, which somehow continued to be anchored in the Cold War mindset."

Referring to the recent Foreign Secretary-level Indo-Pak talks, he said Pakistan had gone for the parleys "with an open mind."

Gilani, while referring to his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [ Images ] in Sharm el-Sheikh in July 2009 and an expected meeting on the sidelines of the upcoming SAARC summit in Bhutan, told the channel that "whenever we meet, it would be meaningful."

Responding to a query about Singh's recent visit to Saudi Arabia, the Pakistan Prime Minister described it as a good development.

He said it would not have any impact on Pak-Saudi ties as the two countries are members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and enjoy close and friendly relations.

Asked about military exercises recently conducted by India at Pokhran, Gilani said Pakistan's defence is in secure hands and the country is aware of its defence capabilities. "We are not worried about such things," he said.

Replying to a question about the Indo-US agreement on civil nuclear cooperation, he said, "We have told (the US) that they have to do something for Pakistan too in order to avoid regional instability." Pakistan will not make any compromise on its defence and nuclear policy and the country's sovereignty and integrity will be upheld, Gilani said.

Rezaul H Laskar in Islamabad © Copyright 2010 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.

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