‘Pakistan committed to improve ties with India’
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari is making all possible efforts to improve relations with India and the current government is actively pursuing a policy that will lead to a qualitative improvement in ties with New Delhi, acting President Farooq Naek has said at a reception he hosted last night for a visiting Indian parliamentary delegation led by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. Naek said the dialogue and healthy exchange of ideas were essential for resolving all “core issues between the two countries, including Kashmir and water issues”. President Zardari had “made it a point to make all efforts possible to improve Pakistan-India relations”. The current Government is “actively pursuing a policy to bring about a qualitative improvement in relations with India”, he added. Pakistan wanted peaceful and friendly relations with all its neighbours, including India, as it believed in the need for greater cooperation for regional stability, said Naek, the Chairman of the Senate ( upper house of Parliament.) Naek, who acted as host for the reception, in place of Zardari, who was away on a private visit to Dubai, said: “It’s time we solve all our issues, including Kashmir and water, for peace and better relationship through an open, meaningful and result- oriented dialogue.”
Gilani praises Manmohan for peace initiatives
Hailing Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s peace efforts, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has expressed hope that the ongoing peace process between Pakistan and India would lead to a resolution of issues that have bedeviled the relationship between the two neighbours. Speaking at a reception hosted in honour of an Indian Parliamentary delegation, headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar here at the Prime Minister House, Gilani added that Pakistan is committed to “result-oriented, constructive and productive engagement with India”. Meira, along with members of Indian Parliament, is currently on a five-day visit to Pakistan on the invitation of her Pakistani counterpart Fehmida Mirza. A statement issued by the PM House said Meira endorsed the view that all contentious issues between the two countries must be settled through dialogue. Separately, in an interview with a private television channel, she pointed out that “war is no solution to any problem and the two countries must shun the path of violence”. Gilani lauded Singh for his efforts to seek peace between the two countries. “I respect Manmohan Singh from the bottom of my heart and I share his desire for peace,” said Gilani. He emphasized the need for India and Pakistan to work together to eliminate hunger, disease and poverty in the two countries. “We should think about the future of the people,” he said, adding that strong relations between parliaments of the two countries can prove to be vital. “We should think about the future of the people,” he said, adding that strong relations between the parliaments of the two countries can prove to be vital. QURAN BURNING Obama says sorry to Karzai US President Barack Obama in a letter to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, regretted and apologized over the destruction of the Holy Koran at the Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan. Obama’s letter to Karzai in this regard was delivered by the US Ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Croker, this afternoon, National Security Council spokesman, Tommey Vietor, said. He added that “Following up on their February 20 phone call, the President sent a letter to President Karzai to continue their discussion on a range of issues relating to our long-term partnership,”