Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Friday expressed satisfaction at the resolve of both Pakistan and India to stay the course of dialogue despite efforts by terrorists to derail the process yet again.
At his meeting with visiting Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris, the premier stressed the need for the region to remain committed to fighting terrorism the way Colombo had done. About the India-Pakistan dialogue process, he made a reference to the blasts in Mumbai on Wednesday and said both countries were resolute in not being deterred by terrorists' designs to derail the process
Speaking about regional issues, Mr. Gilani said Pakistan was keen on maintaining friendly relations with all its neighbours including India, Iran and Afghanistan. Of the view that stability in Afghanistan is most important, he said Pakistan would remain supportive of an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process of reconciliation.
In a related development, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar told the Senate’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs that the ministerial level engagement between India and Pakistan — scheduled for this month-end — would not be affected by the triple blasts in Mumbai. The Committee is said to have asked the Foreign Office to ensure that the dialogue is "result-oriented".
