ISLAMABAD: Terming the situation on the Pakistan-India border as “fragile” in the wake of the Mumbai terror strikes, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani yesterday said this country wants to resolve all issues through dialogue and does not want any escalation in tension.
Talking to the media after addressing a seminar here, the prime minister said the situation on the “eastern border has once again turned fragile”. He said that Pakistan had showed unwavering commitment to peace with India and “we want to cooperate with them on the issue of (countering) terrorism”.
Urging the global community to play its role to defuse the tension between Pakistan and India, Gilani said that Pakistan did not want any escalation and was ready to hold a dialogue with India. US Vice President-elect Joe Biden arrived in Pakistan for talks with the country’s top leaders.
The United States yesterday said the new US administration believes in having a long, real and broad commitment to Pakistan with a view to supporting its stability and nascent democracy. The comments came from Biden who called on President Asif Ali Zardari at the Aiwan-e-Sadr later in the evening.
In the meantime, Pakistan’s main spy agency has given India information about the Mumbai terror attacks, the prime minister said, while denying media speculation of a rift between him and the president.
Gilani told reporters the ISI “had given feedback and information sharing that has been passed on to India” after studying that evidence. He gave no more details. On Wednesday, Gilani fired the national security adviser hours after the official told reporters the sole surviving Mumbai attacker was a Pakistani citizen — something that Islamabad had previously been unwilling to acknowledge.
Local media reported Zardari was not informed of the decision, intensifying earlier media speculation of a split between the country’s top two leaders. “There is no misunderstanding,” Gilani insisted to reporters yesterday while denying reports that Zardari had expressed displeasure with the decision.
Earlier addressing a seminar, Gilani urged the international community to help resolve the Kashmir issue for durable peace in the region. “The Kashmir issue must be resolved keeping in mind the aspirations of its people. This would help ensure peace in the region and the world,” Gilani said. Speaking to reporters, Gilani said the Kashmir issue should be resolved according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people and the UN resolutions on the subject.
