The Hindu : Waiting for change in India's attitude: Pak.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2002

International

International

Waiting for change in India's attitude: Pak.

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD DEC. 16. Pakistan today maintained that dialogue was the only way to resolve differences with India and it was waiting for a `change' in the Indian attitude towards its repeated offer for resumption of the stalled talks.

The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, Aziz Ahmed Khan, told the weekly news conference here that his country desired normal relations with India and expressed the hope that New Delhi would reciprocate. He was responding to a question whether India had shown any interest in resuming talks with Pakistan.

``We have been forthcoming about starting a dialogue. The trouble is that the reluctance throughout is always on the part of India. They are giving one excuse or the other. They are shy of coming forward for a dialogue knowing that it is the only way to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries. We hope good sense will prevail one day and they will realise the futility of the kind of policies they have been pursing against Pakistan," Mr. Khan said.

On reports about Anees Ibrahim's extradition from Dubai to Pakistan, he said the question should be directed to Interior Ministry officials, as he had no information about it.

Mr. Khan declined comment on the BJP's sweeping victory in Gujarat saying that it was an internal matter. "These are internal provincial polls. I am not going to comment on it," he said.

In response to a question on the comments made by the Pakistan Prime Minister, Mir Zafrullah Khan Jamali, on Sunday that a certain lobby in India blocked the talks between the two countries, Mr. Khan said Mr. Jamali did not mean any specific person.

``We cannot pinpoint XYZ are against and so and so are in favour. There has been predominantly, in the past few months, a negative attitude towards Pakistan. All our positive proposals and efforts for reduction of tensions and improvement of relations to start a dialogue have not had a positive response from India," he said.

About the Iran-India gas pipeline to be laid through Pakistan, he said he reiterated Pakistan's willingness to give any kind of guarantee to get the project started. Pakistan was also agreeable to hold trilateral talks with India and Iran on the issue if Iran worked out such a meeting. Mr. Khan said that Pakistan-Iran relations have become strong during the past one year and would be further reinforced with the visit of the Iranian President, Mohammad Khatami, next week.

In a related development, Iran's Foreign Minister, Kamal Kharrazi, in a wide-ranging interview given to a group of visiting Pakistani editors in Teheran has described the coming visit of Mr. Khatami to Pakistan as an important event marking the beginning of a new era in relations between the two countries.

Mr. Kharrazi made a special mention of the gas pipeline project and described it as the "pipeline of peace". He said that setting up of this pipeline would serve the economic interests of all the three countries — Iran, Pakistan and India. He said that at present the three countries were looking at the most economic route to be followed for the transportation of gas from Iran to India through Pakistan and feasibility studies in this regard would be completed in a few months' time.

``Although there are still some questions on the security of the pipeline and other matters, I think construction of this pipeline is in the interest of all the countries in the region. That is why I have called the pipeline as the pipeline of peace. We are optimistic that better understanding would soon prevail between India and Pakistan and this project would materialise,'' Mr. Kharrazi observed.

He told the editors that there would be no problems in financing the project as many MNCs specialising in this line had shown their willingness to fund it. "The only problem is the crisis which besets India and Pakistan and hopefully it will be resolved soon.''

He said Iran was trying to help the two countries to come closer. "When I visited India last year, I had a good meeting with Prime Minister Vajpayee, and I discussed the matter with him and on my return, I stopped in Pakistan and met President Musharraf. It is in the interest of Iran to do something to help both sides to engage with each other and talk to each other.''

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