Pakistan on Thursday said there are no pre-conditions on either side for the proposed Foreign Secretary-level talks, indicating its readiness for parleys with India later this month.
“Let’s not get into specifics. At this stage it is important to remember that there are no pre-conditions on either side,” Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit told reporters.
He was asked whether there has been a climb-down since Pakistan has been insisting that nothing short of a composite dialogue will be accepted.
India has proposed talks between Foreign Secretaries Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir to be held on either February 18 or 25.
“We are yet to respond to India’s suggestion but whenever the meeting takes place, we have to discuss all issues that are of importance to us. We strongly believe that with pre-conditions, we can’t have a dialogue,” Mr. Basit said.
Mr. Basit’s remarks came hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani accused India of trying to sidestep Kashmir issue, saying “in fact, they (India) do not want to talk about Kashmir.”
