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Pak. PM talks of India's `intransigence'

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD DEC. 15. The Pakistan Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, has complained about India's "attitude" towards Pakistan and said New Delhi would have to re-think and review its stance on holding a dialogue with Islamabad.

In an informal talk with presspersons at an exhibition here on Sunday, Mr. Jamali alleged that "Indian intransigence" was not against any Government but was directed against Pakistan.

"Apart from Indian attitude at Government-to-Government level, what I understand, India is not even ready to talk to Pakistan," he said in response to a question on the possibility of resuming the dialogue between India and Pakistan. Whatever reservation India had about the military Government was no longer valid and everyone was expecting that with an elected government in place in Pakistan India would show flexibility and initiate a dialogue.

Mr. Jamali maintained that India's stance was neither in the interest of the people of India and Pakistan nor of the region. India had to re-think and review its stance about initiating a dialogue and its intransigence could not be "tolerated" for long. Pakistan had been continuously urging New Delhi to resolve all the outstanding issues through dialogue.

To a question on extending an invitation to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, to visit Pakistan, he said he had only heard him (Mr. Vajpayee).

"I have not seen or met Prime Minister Vajpayee but I have heard him. Whatever the Indian Prime Minister is saying about our relations is beyond my comprehension," he added.

Asked whether the issue of alleged nuclear cooperation with North Korea would be discussed during the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Christina Rocca's visit to Islamabad, he said: "I have not yet seen the agenda of her visit".

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