Zardari hopes talks with India will resume after LS polls

[Screaming Skull]

Zardari hopes talks with India will resume after LS polls​

Thursday, April 09, 2009, (Islamabad)

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said he is hopeful that the dialogue between Pakistan and India, stalled in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, would resume after the general election in India.

Zardari claimed that his "bold peace overtures" to India had received "no positive response".

In an interview with a TV channel, he said the Mumbai terrorist attacks stalled the peace talks but he hoped the dialogue would resume after the elections in India.

He also noted that there had been a significant increase in the Indian defence budget. India hiked its defence spending by 24 per cent in the current fiscal.

Referring to Pakistan's concerns about the perceived increase in Indian influence in Afghanistan, Zardari said a number of international intelligence agencies were involved in "spy games" in Kabul and there is a need for global consensus to end this practice.

Zardari also said the US has assured Pakistan that it will not carry out drone attacks in the Balochistan province.

"Not only the people of Pakistan but also the government is concerned over the drone attacks," said Zardari.

The US has incorporated several of Pakistan's suggestions in its new policy for Afghanistan but the two countries disagreed on the drone strikes.

However Washington "has assured us it will not carry out drone attacks in
Balochistan," said Zardari.

The government is looking at the results of the peace deal in the Swat valley and future decisions will be made accordingly. The NWFP government believed religious hardliner Sufi Muhammad, whose group signed a deal with authorities to usher in peace in Swat, was "reconcilable", Zardari said.

The Taliban now control almost the whole of Swat and Sufi Muhammad has set up Islamic courts in the region though the President is yet to approve regulations for implementing Islamic laws in the area.

Zardari said his government wanted to develop consensus in parliament on how to solve the problems in Balochistan and hoped the issue would be resolved by the end of this year.

He said the number of "missing people" or persons detained without charge by security agencies in Balochistan were neither in the thousands nor in the hundreds.

"There are a few people," he said, adding they would be released after the due process of law.

Asked about his decision to run for President despite being the chief of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, Zardari said he had his sight "on a senior PPP leader...from Sindh" but the party decided he was more suitable candidate. Zardari said he believed in the supremacy of parliament and was ready to give up his powers for the purpose.

 

[Bane Blade]

I can't believe that a number of people that post on this forum go on and on about how much they want peace in Pakistan and yet just to please these very people Indian politicians are trying to show themselves as if they don't want to hold any ties with Pakistan what kind of signs do you expect Pakistanis to take when they see such actions?????????

 

[Screaming Skull]

India snubs Zardari, rejects taunt​

10 Apr 2009,

India has snubbed Zardari for his commnent linking India's refusal to hold bilateral talks to the Lok Sabha elections.

Govt sources have revealed that the talks are on hold not because of the elections. Govt sources say india expects pakistan to take action against the perpetrators of the mumbai attack of 26/11 and that talks can happen only after significant action is taken on the issue.

In a bid to escalate the pressure on New Delhi to begin talks with Islamabad, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zaradri had earlier almost suggested that India's reluctance for talks has less to do with its concrens over terror but more to do with the upcoming LS elections.

In a candid interview to a Pak news channel Asif Ali Zaradri has said that he was quite sure India will return to the dialouge table once 2009 Lok Sabha elections are over.

Zardari's suggestion is in line with conventional thinking in Pakistan that the UPA govt is adopting a temporary and self serving stance with regards to resuming the dialouges in order to appease certain sections of the electorate that could be swayed into believeing that the UPA govt is soft on National security.

Zardari's statement is likely to antagonise New Delhi into further stalling the resumption of comprehensive dialouge with Pak. However, Pak seems confident of things going their way since the US too is putting pressure on India to resume dialogue.

That is however of lesser consideration to Pakistan specially as it is aware that Washington is putting the pressuere on New Delhi to resume talks with Islamabad so as to lower tension in teh region to start an objective that will enable pak army to concertrate its efforts towards prosecuting US war gainst the Taliban and Qaida in the region.

 

[white_pawn]

I can't believe that a number of people that post on this forum go on and on about how much they want peace in Pakistan and yet just to please these very people Indian politicians are trying to show themselves as if they don't want to hold any ties with Pakistan what kind of signs do you expect Pakistanis to take when they see such actions?????????

Kargil.....! That the answer.

 

[Bane Blade]

Kargil.....! That the answer.

It is odd that the same people that talk of peace six months back and say we want to hold dialogue then they change their stance just to please the people yet over here in Pakistan people are told if we come to power we will hold peace talks with our neighbours. Is Indian nation a war mongerring one??