No communication gap between Pakistan, India on outstanding issues: Gilani

MUSCAT - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has denied any communication gap with India on resolving Kashmir and other outstanding issues, but asked New Delhi not to hold the dialogue process hostage to the 2008 Mumbai terror incident.

“This impression should be dispelled that there is lack of communication between Pakistan and India,” the Daily Times quoted Gilani, who was on a two-day official visit to Oman, as saying during an interaction with the local media on Tuesday.

He, however, pointed at a lack of trust between Pakistan and India.

Gilani said that Pakistan desires resumption of dialogue with India to resolve all outstanding issues, and also mentioned his talks with his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh, during which he had asked the Indian PM that one incident should not be allowed to hold down the dialogue process.

He said the resolution of the Kashmir issue was vital for regional stability, adding that Pakistan wished to discuss all core issues- including Kashmir- and India too had agreed upon it.

About the presence of terrorist groups along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Gilani said that both countries realise that they are victims of a common enemy.

“We should combat terrorism with a joint strategy. NATO forces and ISAF are working in consultation with Pakistan and Afghanistan to jointly combat terrorism,” he added.

To a question regarding the issue of terrorism and extremism, Gilani said that the government was following the ‘3Ds’ policy of dialogue, development and deterrence, and was moving in the right direction to curb the menace.

He said that terrorists, being timid people, were hitting soft targets, but had now lost their strongholds in the areas. (ANI)