President hopes Mohali turns relations around

Prime minister briefs Zardari about India visit.

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan welcomes the resumption of broken talks with India and will work to make the dialogue meaningful this time around, President Asif Ali Zardari said after a meeting with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, who called on him at the Aiwan-i-Sadr on Thursday.

“I welcome it (renewed talks) as a positive development for the region and hope that it will provide further impetus to the efforts for meaningful dialogue between the two countries on all outstanding issues,” President Zardari said.

“Dialogue between the two countries is the only way forward to address issues and to concentrate on the welfare of the peoples by addressing the problems of hunger, disease and poor infrastructure.”

During the meeting, the prime minister briefed the president about his visit to India and his discussion with his Indian counterpart.

Regular interactions between leaders of Pakistan and India will not only provide a solid platform to resolve our mutual issues but would also help to obviate and reduce misperceptions and mistrusts, Zardari said.

The president welcomed the meeting of the leaders of the two countries and said it was a positive development for the region and expressed the hope that it would provide further impetus to the efforts for meaningful dialogue between the two countries on all outstanding issues. The president also appreciated Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for extending an invitation to the Pakistani leadership to visit India.

The president appreciated both cricket teams for providing an opportunity to witness a good game.

“Winning or losing the match is not really important in any game,” the president said, adding: “What was important was the sportsman spirit and effort of our boys in the field and the fact that the event provided an opportunity for the leadership to get together and also entertainment to the people of the two countries.”

Later the president hosted lunch for the prime minister, which was also attended by Interior Minister Rehman Malik.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2011.