Suspension of Indo-Pak talks helped non-state actors:Gilani

Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Jun 7 (PTI) The suspension of the
India-Pakistan composite dialogue in the wake of the 2008
Mumbai attacks allowed non-state actors to succeed in
"dictating their agenda", Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani
said on Monday.
Reiterating Pakistan's desire for the "negotiated
and peaceful resolution" of all disputes with India, Gilani
said: "By suspending composite dialogue following the Mumbai
attacks in November 2008, non-state actors succeeded in
dictating their agenda."
The premier made the remarks while addressing a
gathering of top army officials, including army chief Gen
Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, at the Command and Staff College in
Quetta.
He said it was Pakistan's consistent viewpoint to
"delink the peace process from terrorism".
"The Indian leaderships' willingness to resume the
stalled dialogue and international support for initiation of
talks represents a win of our diplomacy. Better late than
never," Gilani said.
He said his government believed that "peace is the
only course" that can improve the lives of the people of South
Asia.
He also said it was "unfortunate that the leaderships
of both India and Pakistan, who have immense stakes in the
future, have been meeting on the sidelines of regional and
multilateral forums instead of holding direct talks."
Gilani, who spoke on issues of vital importance to
Pakistan, again called for Pakistan to be given access to
nuclear technology and know-how so that it could address a
crippling energy crisis by increasing the generation of atomic
power.
During his meetings with the US leadership, he made it
clear that "Pakistan rightfully expects the US to adopt
non-discrimination in terms of (a) civil nuclear deal with
Islamabad", he said.
"We believe that the objectives of nuclear
non-proliferation, safety and security would be better served
if the policy of non-discrimination reforms the international
paradigm in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy," he said.
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