Engaging is the most sensible way forward, says Pakistan

Priyanka Tikoo and Ajay Kaul

Thimphu, Apr 27 (PTI) Amid high expectations of a meeting
between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani
counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani here, Pakistan on Tuesday said
talking and engaging was the "most sensible way forward".

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who saw a
SAARC Exhibition alongside External Affairs Minister of India
S M Krishna, suggested that his country wanted to have
"beautiful" relations with India.
"The climate here is beautiful. Don't you want relations
between India and Pakistan to be beautiful as well," Qureshi
told reporters when asked whether the cool climes of Thimphu
would have an impact on Indo-Pak ties.
Asked about the possibility of talks between the Prime
Ministers of the two countries, he said, "We can talk about
talks. One always lives on hope".
He added that, "talking and engaging is the most sensible
way forward".
Qureshi and Krishna were together at the exhibition for
few moments after the inaugural session of the SAARC Council
of Ministers' meeting.
Krishna, who was asked separately about the possibility
of the meeting between the two Prime Ministers on the
sidelines of the SAARC Summit, was guarded, saying it would be
decided after Singh arrives here tomorrow.
"Let the Prime Minister arrive here. We will see how
scheduling of the bilateral meetings will be arranged. We have
to await the arrival," he said.
There are high expectations about a meeting between Singh
and Gilani on the sidelines of the Summit here which begins
tomorrow. Indian officials suggest that there could be a
meeting but it would not be a substantive one.
India has been maintaining that it was willing to remain
engaged with Pakistan but the latter would have to address the
"core" concern of cross-border terrorism before a substantive
dialogue could be resumed.
Pakistan, on the other side, wants resumption of
Composite Dialogue which was stalled by India after the Mumbai
attacks in 2008.
To a question on Pakistan's reply to Indian dossiers of
evidence on 26/11, Krishna said a response would be formulated
after he goes back to Delhi.
On the meeting of SAARC Council of Ministers, he said "it
was smooth".
He said it had been smoothened by the meeting of SAARC
Foreign Secretaries on Monday. PTI PYK/AKK