The Hindu : Front Page : Zardari says "good news" on Kashmir soon

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Wednesday, Sep 10, 2008
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Zardari says "good news" on Kashmir soon

Nirupama Subramanian

ISLAMABAD: Asif Ali Zardari, who was sworn in as President of Pakistan on Tuesday, declared hours after his inauguration that there would be "good news" on Kashmir soon and that he intended to work "with all our neighbours" to tackle the problems faced by the region.

Addressing a joint press conference with Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai, the only foreign head of state invited to the inauguration, President Zardari said a "Kashmir caucus" or committee would be soon set up in Pakistan's Parliament.

The Pakistani parliament has always had a Kashmir committee. But it has yet to be set up in the present parliament, in which the formation of all committees has been delayed due to political uncertainties.

"I am happy to announce that we have already had a dialogue with Nawaz Sharif, and the Pakistan People's Party has taken into confidence all of the political forces insides Pakistan, inside the Parliament and outside the Parliament, and we will very shortly make a small caucus with the Kashmir committee which is going to be formed, and we are going to go about it on a fast lane," Mr. Zardari said.

Mr. Zardari added he was aware of the India-Pakistan "back-channel dialogue", and said that "in the light of that we intend to take it to the Parliament, to the parliamentary committee on Kashmir and to invite all the political forces which are outside the Parliament and inshallah, before the month is over, before the coming of the Congress government's going into election, we shall have some good news".

With President Karzai by his side, Mr. Zardari said Pakistan would stand together with its neighbours in facing the challenges of the region

"We intend to take the people of Pakistan and our neighbours into the 21st centyury together. We shall stand with each other, not in each other's way. This is a message not just for Afghanistan but all our neighbouring countries," Mr. Zardari said.

"We intend to, Pakistan intends to, the government of the day intends to, democracy intends to work with you all, alongside you… We know we have had problems in the past, and we shall have problems in the future. One thing I can assure you, we shall stand with our neighbours, we shall stand with the people of Pakistan and look at the problems in the eyes, and tell the world we are bigger than the problems are. We are the people of Pakistan," he said.

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