Paused India peace process will resume soon, Qureshi says

Islamabad: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi said yesterday he was confident that the "setback" in relations with India after last month's Mumbai terror attacks would be overcome soon.

The peace process was in a "pause" mode but it would be resumed soon, Qureshi told a joint news conference with Swedish counterpart Carl Bildt after talks between the two at the foreign ministry.

He said Pakistan had offered joint investigations and sincere cooperation to unearth and bring to justsice those behind the Mumbai attacks.

Qureshi said Pakistan needed detailed evidence through diplomatic channels but India had stated it would do so after completing its investigation.

Good relations

"I offered joint investigation and I am even prepared to visit India to lead a delegation to promote confidence-building, but we are awaiting a positive response from India," he said.

He said Pakistan wanted to take the bilateral peace dialogue forward and was "mobilising all resources for good neighbourly relations.

"I am optimistic about improvement of relations with India. We have common challenges and let us join hands to face them instead of starting any blame game as it will be counter-productive."

The Swedish foreign minister emphasised cooperation among Pakistan, India and Afghanistan to combat terrorism effectively and said his country and the European Union would extend full support.

Bildt said India was not incriminating Pakistan but it had identified some groups and individuals linked to the Mumbai attacks and asked Islamabad to take action against such elements.

The Swedish minister said there was sufficient evidence for the decision of the UN Security Council sanctions committee against Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), which has been termed a front for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group that has been blamed for the attacks in Mumbai.

Pakistan has sealed the offices of JuD across the country, taken into custody an unspecified number of people belonging to the organisation and also assumed control of a string of clinics and schools that were run by it.

Tribal areas: Fighting militancy

President Asif Ali Zardari said yesterday that militants in Pakistan wanted to capture political power through violence but the government would frustrate their agenda.

During a meeting with legislators from the federally administered tribal areas along the Afghan border, the president said there was no alternative but to fight militancy, according to an official report.

The meeting, also attended by governor of the northwestern province and some federal ministers and senior officials, discussed the situation in the tribal areas where the army has been battling militants.

Zardari said that government was committed to doing all that was required to strengthen the law enforcement agencies on the one hand and to embark on a massive socio-economic development programme in the tribal regions.