Date:15/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/15/stories/2008081555421600.htm

International

We want better ties with India: Gilani

Nirupama Subramanian

ISLAMABAD: Amid a heightening war of words between New Delhi and Islamabad over Kashmir, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani sought to bring down the temperature with an assurance on Thursday that his government was committed to resolving all issues with India in a “just and peaceful” manner through negotiations.

A day earlier, the PPP-led government moved a resolution in the National Assembly condemning India for “human rights violations” in Kashmir. In an apparently conciliatory gesture, Mr. Gilani sent a message of felicitations to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for India’s Independence Day.

The message reiterated his government’s “commitment to improve relations with India by resolving all outstanding disputes between the two countries in a just and peaceful manner”.

Also, in a speech on the occasion of Pakistan’s Independence Day on Thursday,

The Pakistani Prime Minister referred to his Colombo meeting with Dr. Singh, saying“both the governments decided that the process of improving the relations between the two countries should continue and the doors for negotiations should not be closed”.

Mr. Gilani said this was a “significant development” especially in the context of the firing incidents on the Line of Control.

Reference to Kashmir

He also made a reference to Kashmir, but unlike other Pakistani leaders in the last few days, it was mild and steered clear of the present unrest in the Valley.

“Along with the negotiations for improvement of relations we are also making an effort for the solution of the Kashmir problem. It is our effort that this problem should be solved according to the wishes of our Kashmiri brethren,” he said.