Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that India should adopt a more “positive” approach in its relations with Pakistan and stop “harping on the same thing,” in an apparent reference to India’s stand that it would not resume composite dialogue unless Islamabad took concrete action against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks.
“It [India] has to be positive. You don’t have to be negative. Now if you’re negative, you’re not helping your case. India says we will not talk. There will be a stage when Pakistan says so be it,” he told NDTV.
Mr. Qureshi, who was here with his Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, described India as an “important regional player” and said it must “act responsibly.” “We are facing a challenge but we cannot face it alone. We need a regional approach. India is an important regional player and it has to act responsibly,” he said.
Mr. Qureshi said External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, whom he met in New York recently, had promised to come back with his response on the issues they had discussed but he had not heard from him so far.
“They are still sticking to the position that Pakistan needs to do more. If you continue to harp on the same thing you will merely vitiate the atmosphere. I want to improve relations between the two countries. I really want to see progress and normalisation [of relations],” he added.
