Islamabad, April 3
Pakistan today welcomed Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s remarks calling for peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues between the two countries and said the recent statements from Indian leaders were constructive and positive.
“It’s a good statement. Tenor and tune of statements coming from India has been positive and constructive,” Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan told reporters.
Mr Vajpayee stated yesterday that there was no way to resolve problems other than through peaceful means.
Mr Khan said the whole efforts and dialogue should be substantive, “should produce results and help us resolve all outstanding issues”.
Asked to comment on a reported BJP’s “Vision 2004” in which it claimed Kashmir as India’s integral part, the Mr Khan said it was not grounded in fact as Kashmir was an issue that needed to be resolved.
The reported vision document should not have any bearing on the upcoming talks between the two countries as was evident from the statements by Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani, he said.
Stating that Pakistan would participate in talks “earnestly and sincerely,” he said the technical level talks on the bus service between Muzzafarabad and Srinagar would be held in Islamabad on April 8-9.
— PTI
