Qureshi terms Singh`s remarks `disappointing`

Islamabad, Jan 7 (PTI) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh's remarks about involvement of Pakistan's official
agencies in the Mumbai attacks were "disappointing" since they
were made by a "thinking man" and "seasoned statesman,"
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Wednesday.

Qureshi, who is in Kabul accompanying Pakistan President
Asif Ali Zardari on his maiden official visit to Afghanistan,
said that Singh's statement Tuesday about the Mumbai attacks
having the backing of "some official agencies" in Pakistan was
disappointing.

"In Manmohan Singh, I see a thinking man and an academic.
A statement of that nature coming from such a mature, seasoned
statesman is rather disappointing," he told a news conference
in the Afghan capital.

The two countries will have to cooperate at the
operational level to get to the bottom of what happened in
Mumbai, Qureshi said.

This objective cannot be achieved by closing channels of
communication or resorting to accusations, he said.

Qureshi said Indian politicians had "fallen prey to the
Mumbai situation" and were indulging in a blame game.

Replying to a question, he said the Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) is an important national institution that
has made "tremendous contributions" in the war on terror and
this role is being recognised the world over.

Pakistan does not want war and instead it desires peace,
harmony, regional stability and good neighbourly relations
with India, Qureshi said.

However, if war is imposed on Pakistan, every Pakistani
will fight back with full commitment and force of conviction,
he added.

Responding to a question, he said Pakistan believes the
normalisation of relations with India is in its own interest.

Pakistani troops deployed in the country's tribal areas
and parts of North West Frontier Province have achieved "great
successes" during the past few months in their campaign
against terrorism and extremism, he said. There is no question
of moving troops away from Pakistan's western border, he said.

Qureshi described the joint declaration signed by
Pakistan and Afghanistan Tuesday as a "historic and
watershed document" that will take bilateral relations to new
heights.

Since a democratic government came to power in Pakistan,
the two countries have moved away from suspicions and finger-
pointing to a relationship based on trust and confidence.

He proposed the setting up of several working groups to
identify feasible projects for consideration by the Regional
Conference on Afghanistan to be held in Islamabad in April.
This will help make the conference more result-oriented, he
said.

Qureshi also expressed confidence that the understanding
between Pakistan and Afghanistan on the need to eliminate
narcotics trafficking will help tackle this problem. "Money
from narcotics is contributing to extremism and terrorism and
we have to break the nexus," he said. PTI