Pak climbs down a little

Says it is ready for talks with India without pre-conditions

Pakistan today said it was ready for talks with India to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core issue of Kashmir, but without preconditions.

"We have insisted for negotiations on all issues including the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan is ready for talks but pre-conditions are not acceptable," Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah said at a media briefing.

He said the four-point initiative presented by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the UN General Assembly last month is the way forward for reducing tensions and the resolution of outstanding disputes.

The spokesperson also said the dossiers were given to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to inform him about the alleged Indian involvement in fomenting terrorism in Pakistan. He said that Pakistan will continue to inform the United Nations about its concerns in this regard in the future as well.

He also criticised the violence in India over the issue of beef and said a country claiming to be a secular state should guarantee the basic rights of minorities.

"Attacks on Muslims on the issue of cow slaughtering are beyond comprehension and a cause of concern for the Muslim ummah (community)," Khalilullah said.

The spokesperson also said that India is known as the world's second largest exporter of beef.

"The export of beef is not possible without the slaughtering of cows," he said.

Talking about the cancellation of popular singer Ghulam Ali's concert, the spokesman said it was "regrettable" that Pakistani artists were receiving threats in India.

He said that cultural exchanges were vital for the improvement of relations between the two countries.