ISLAMABAD: Good relations between Pakistan and India are vital for fighting militancy, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said on Saturday, as the old rivals prepare for their first official talks since the Mumbai attack.
Top officials in the foreign ministries of the two nuclear-armed neighbors are to meet in New Delhi on Feb. 25 after India this month offered to hold high-level talks.
In a meeting with Pakistan’s high commissioner, or ambassador, to India, Zardari said Pakistan wanted “meaningful and result-oriented talks” with India.
That, he said, would include resumption of the full peace process centered on so-called composite dialogue covering all bilateral problems, including their core dispute over the Himalayan region of Kashmir.
“Good neighborly relations are essential for the welfare of both countries and also for fighting militancy,” a statement from Zardari’s office quoted him as saying.
New Delhi suspended a four-year-old peace process with Pakistan after the attack on the Indian city of Mumbai by Pakistan-based militants in 2008 that killed 166 people.
India had demanded action against the militants it says were behind the assault before the peace process could resume, but offered dialogue despite little progress in Pakistan’s prosecution of seven suspects.
The United States has also urged the two countries to resume engagement to help stabilize Afghanistan, where it is deploying tens of thousands more troops into battle against the militants.
An easing of tension with India would help Pakistan to focus on its fight on Al-Qaeda-linked militants on its Western borders with Afghanistan.
Indian officials say they offered Pakistan open-ended talks on all issues affecting peace and security, emphasizing counterterrorism.
