Disappointed that the promise held out at the Prime Minister-level engagements with India had not yet been realised in the form of a full resumption of the dialogue process, Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Friday said that “the only way forward for the two countries is dialogue.”
“Lasting peace and security in South Asia can only be achieved with a sincere effort to resolve long-standing disputes,” Mr. Gilani said while addressing the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Pakistan. Stating that Pakistan's neighbourhood policy was informed “by our quest for peaceful co-existence, promoting trans-regional development and ensuring stability and peace,” his assumption for the absence of a breakthrough in bilateral relations was the domestic pressure faced by his counterpart, Manmohan Singh.
Concerned about the prevailing situation in “Indian Occupied Kashmir,” the Prime Minister said Pakistan would continue to extend its full moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their just cause.
Nuclear deterrence
Asked about President Asif Ali Zardari's statement that Pakistan would not resort to the ‘first use' option for its nuclear arsenal, Mr. Gilani said Islamabad had made it amply clear to the world that it does not want to fight with India or any of its neighbours. Maintaining that Pakistan is a responsible nuclear weapons State, he added that “our nuclear capability is only for deterrence.”
