London : India and Pakistan have no option but to talk, Pakistan
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said, days before foreign
ministers of the two countries meet.
Both Pakistan and India have realised that their relations should
not become hostage to the Mumbai "incident", Gilani told reporters
Thursday, referring to the 2008 terror attack on Mumbai that seriously
strained their ties.
This is why, he said, the two countries had come to the table to
discuss all outstanding issues, including the Kashmir dispute, the
Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Gilani, who is visiting Britain, said the two foreign ministers would meet July 27 in New Delhi to discuss a range of issues.
"If the two countries do not talk, the beneficiaries will be the militants," he said.
The prime minister said while Pakistan considered its relations with
the US "extremely important", he admitted their relations had been
strained since the American killing of Osama bin Laden May 2.
He said the unilateral American killing of the Al Qaeda chief in
Abbattobad city had led to "misunderstanding" after Pakistan voiced
reservations for not being taken into confidence.
Asked about the arrest of Kashmiri leader Ghulam Nabi Fai in the US,
Gilani said that he belonged to "(Indian) occupied Kashmir" and his
arrest had "nothing to do with Pakistan's clear-cut policy on Kashmir".
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested Fai, an
American citizen, of taking money from Islamabad and its intelligence
agency to push the Kashmiri cause in Washington. IANS
