Pakistan New Premier Says Committed to India Peace :: Namibia Internet Gateway cc ::

Articles: Pakistan New Premier Says Committed to India Peace

Posted by admin on Tuesday, July 20, 2004 - 01:42 AM

Pakistan's new prime minister vowed Tuesday to pursue peace with rival India and resolve their decades-old dispute over Kashmir, at the heart of hostilities between the nuclear armed South Asian neighbors.
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who became prime minister last month for an interim period, told a seven-nation regional meeting of foreign ministers that the resumption of dialogue between Pakistan and India augured well. Pakistani and Indian diplomats have held informal talks on the sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) economic forum being held in Islamabad. "I want to assure all members of SAARC and indeed the world that Pakistan is committed to pursuing peace with India," Hussain said. "I am happy to report that with the vision and the will Pakistan has under the leadership of President (Pervez) Musharraf, we have embarked upon a meaningful effort to resolve all differences and disputes with India including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir." Pakistani Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri said peace with India was key to unlocking the region's economic potential. The SAARC countries, with a population of around 1.4 billion, form one of the world's poorest regions. Besides India and Pakistan, the group also includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. "The vision of South Asia joining the Asian mainstream with fast economic growth and development can only be realized if there is peace and harmony," Kasuri said. Kasuri is expected to hold talks with his Indian counterpart Natwar Singh Wednesday to push forward peace talks. Later this week Singh is due to meet Musharraf, who along with former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is the main architect of a peace process aimed at ending decades of enmity over Kashmir, which they both claim. Political analysts say they do not expect major breakthroughs this week and view the talks as another opportunity to build trust between the old foes. They have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir which both countries claim. The neighbors came close to a fourth conflict in 2002 after an attack on the Indian parliament by Pakistan-based militants. Tens of thousands of people have died in a 15-year rebellion in Indian Kashmir that New Delhi blames on Pakistani militants but which Islamabad says is a struggle against Indian occupation.

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