Gilani hopes upcoming Indo-Pak dialogue would be fruitful

Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, May 7 (PTI) Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf
Raza Gilani Friday said he hoped the upcoming Indo-Pak
dialogue would be fruitful and help resolve outstanding issues
between the two countries, including the Kashmir dispute.
"I hope the dialogue will bear fruit and can find a
way to resolve the issues, including the issue of Jammu and
Kashmir, between the two countries," he said, referring to a
decision made by him and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh
to resume the stalled dialogue process.
In his monthly address to the nation on radio, Gilani
said he had very useful and constructive meetings with heads
of states, including Indian Prime Minister Singh, on the
sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Bhutan last month.
Gilani said that during his talks with his Indian
counterpart, he had emphasised that dialogue is a must for
permanent peace in the region.
Singh had agreed that all issues should be resolved
through dialogue, he said.
He also said that he had clarified to leaders at the
SAARC summit that the whole region was confronted with
terrorism.
The people and armed forces of Pakistan were fighting
a war against terrorism to maintain peace in the region and
have made unprecedented sacrifices in this fight, he said.
Describing a recent landmark constitutional reforms
package that stripped the President of his sweeping powers as
the "first step towards greater political stability and
socio-economic progress," Gilani said it provided a mechanism
for addressing the problems of the masses.
"Some critics in television programmes and in the
media questioned how these amendments benefited the common
man... I want to make it clear that these reforms provide a
mechanism for addressing the problems of the masses," Gilani
said.
Without a system, mismanagement prevails and this is
bound to bring deterioration and not betterment in the
situation, he said.
The reforms were "the first step towards political
stability and socio-economic progress. In fact, the
constitution provides the foundation for a stable, developed
and prosperous country and nation," he said.
Gilani said during his recent visit to the US to
attend a global nuclear summit, he told the world community
that Pakistan's nuclear programme was for defensive and
peaceful purposes and it was in safe hands.
Heads of states who participated in the summit,
including US President Barack Obama, supported Pakistan's
stance, he added. (MORE) PTI RHL
MRD


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