ISLAMABAD – Terming his visit to Sharm el Sheikh and meeting with his Indian counterpart a complete success, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said that both India and Pakistan agreed to continue the dialogue process as it was considered the only way to resolve all the outstanding issues between the two nuclear power neighbours.
Briefing media persons on his four-day visit to Egypt where he attended NAM Summit and had a meeting with his Indian counterpart, the Prime Minister said that evidence was given to Prime Minister Singh about India’s involvement in Balochistan. “This was made part of the joint statement,” Prime Minister Gilani said.
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said that a whole gambut of issues, including Indian interference in Balochistan was raised during his meeting with Dr Manmohan Singh.
He said that Manmohan Singh was a statesman and there was a realization on both sides that one single issue should not make hostage the rest of the issues like poverty, hunger and disease confronting over 1.5 billion people of South Asia.
He said the Indian Prime Minister feared more Mumbai-like terrorists attacks on his country and he was asked that if India had some credible information in this regard it should be shared with PakistanÂ’s intelligence agencies and full cooperation would be extended.
He once again reiterated that the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks would be brought to justice and in this connection they had asked for some more information from India.
Prime Minister Gilani said the two sides agreed at the meeting that dialogue was the only way forward.
Replying to a question, he categorically stated that no foreign country was involved in arranging his meeting with the Indian Premier. “Whatever we are doing, we are doing in our own interest. It was Pakistan’s initiative.
Terrorism is a problem of Pakistan and we will fight it. If some country gets happy or angry, it’s their problem,”he added.
Prime Minister Gilani said that Manmohan Singh was ‘quite clear’ in the meeting and stated, “He was not scared and was ready to discuss any issue.”
“At present we have some trust deficit. If we have more interactions like these, then it will be taken care of,” the Prime Minister said.
He said, “Pak-India relations have remained shaky for the last 60 years and there is a lack of trust between the two neighbours”.
“When trust building starts, then we can say that we are not threatened,” he added.
Replying to a question about Afghan interference in Balochistan from Helmund, he said PakistanÂ’s concerns were conveyed to Afghan President Hamid Karzai during his meeting with him and he assured that the province will not be destabilized.
To a question that the Kashmir issue was left out, he said that the joint statement clearly stated that India and Pakistan would discuss all issues, including outstanding issues.
When asked if sending IDPs back to their homes was premature and to gain publicity, he said they were allowed to return only after the law enforcement agencies had cleared the areas of militants.
“It is our responsibility to give them protection…if law enforcing agencies feel the place is safe, only then we are sending them back.”
To a question if Taliban have been defeated, Prime Minister Gilani said that Pakistan was determined to root out terrorism, which was also badly affecting countryÂ’s economy.
“It is our resolve not to allow them to grow. They are destabilizing our economy.”
About the UN mission in Pakistan investigating Benazir BhuttoÂ’s assassination, he said they were here for fact-finding and he would meet the team soon.
The Prime Minister said that his party believed in politics of reconciliation, which was also the vision of late Benazir Bhutto.
He said that was why his party had supported Nawaz Sharif and they had reciprocated during the formation of the coalition government.
He said when he went to Egypt, he had the backing of the whole nation and all the political parties, whether inside or outside the Parliament.
Prior to leaving for Egypt, he added, he took all the political leadership into confidence and also discussed his visit with President Asif Ali Zardari and other state institutions.
He said that he would take the Parliament and the Federal Cabinet into confidence on his visit to Egypt.
Earlier in a written statement, the Prime Minister said during NAM Summit he called for reinforcing the normative framework for strict adherence to the principles of inter-state relations enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
Gilani said Pakistan believed that the core of NAMÂ’s efforts today should be the quest for sovereign equality. He said the Movement must renew its emphasis on giving full life and meaning to the immutable principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-intervention, mutual benefit, and peaceful co-existence.
“We believe durable peace in South Asia is achievable. It will be facilitated by the resolution of all outstanding disputes, including Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
“We were successful in reinforcing the commitment Pakistan attaches to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), its principles and objectives.”
He highlighted PakistanÂ’s perspective on issues of international peace and security as well as on global financial and economic crisis.
He garnered international support and solidarity for PakistanÂ’s efforts to address the challenges of extremism and terrorism and deepened PakistanÂ’s international reach, particularly in South Asia.
Gilani said he proposed ways for addressing the global financial and economic crisis – particularly emphasizing the need to avoid protectionism, increased market access, and comprehensively reform the international financial institutions.
The Prime Minister called for strengthening the multilateral system and for advancing interests of all states in an equitable manner.
He underlined the need for redesigning the global institutional architecture on the basis of democracy, accountability and transparency.
Gilani promoted the pacific settlement of disputes. Pakistan has already stressed the need for NAM to expeditiously evolve a mechanism for conflict resolution.
He suggested for developing a new global consensus covering arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation as well as access to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Gilani said there was a need to pay urgent attention to the threat of climate change, including in South Asia, in view of prospects of the melting of glaciers. He also called for deepening South-South cooperation.
He highlighted the fact that PakistanÂ’s commitment to fight terrorism was in its own national interest and reaffirmed the resolve to realize Quaid-e-AzamÂ’s vision of a moderate, democratic and progressive Islamic Pakistan.
He said during the talks with his Indian counterpart, it was decided to delink action on terrorism from the composite dialogue process and these should not be bracketed.
Prime Minister Singh reiterated IndiaÂ’s interest in a stable and democratic Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
On the sidelines of the Summit, Gilani also held bilateral meetings with the leaders of Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bahrain and Jordan and with the Secretary General of United Nations.
“We reiterated Pakistan’s strong desire to comprehensively upgrade our bilateral relations with South Asian countries and to deepen regional cooperation through SAARC,” he said adding, “we assured the South Asian partners that Pakistan would continue to play an important role in the advancement of peace, security and economic development.”