LoC violations: Islamabad ready for independent probe, says Nawaz
Says will renew invitation to Manmohan Singh.
Kashmir border PHOTO: AFP/FILE
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday that his government was ready to set up a joint mechanism to monitor tensions along the Line of Control following increased tensions over the last two months. Says will renew invitation to Manmohan Singh.
At the same time, he said, Pakistan is open to the idea of an independent investigation, even one by the UN.
“We will propose the setting up of a joint mechanism to monitor tensions along the LoC. We are open to an independent investigation, even one by the UN,” PM Nawaz told NDTV correspondent Barkha Dutt in an interview in New York.
“If this is not acceptable to India, we can also look at calling a separate meeting of the two foreign secretaries and the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs).”
“Manmohan Singh is a good man and I am looking forward to my first meeting with him,” said Nawaz, expressing hope that Dr Singh would accept his invitation this time to visit Pakistan. “I will renew my invite to him. His visit is long overdue,” he said.
Asked about the fallout of the terror attacks in Jammu, Nawaz told NDTV, “I condemn the attack in the strongest words. This is a very sad incident and we should work hard to avoid such incidents from repeating.”
Asked to describe whether his mood was optimistic, pessimistic or pragmatic ahead of the meeting, he said: “I will only say I am meeting Manmohan Singh for the first time and I want to repair the threads broken in 1999.”
Previous regimes blamed
Speaking to the Pakistani community in New York, the prime minister said the loans taken by the previous government in the last five years are more than loans taken in the 40 to 50 years before that.
Former governments should be questioned about why they did not pay enough attention to the enormous loans that the country has accumulated, said Nawaz.
He said that these problems were “inherited by [former president] Zardari’s government from Musharraf’s government.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2013.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday that his government was ready to set up a joint mechanism to monitor tensions along the Line of Control following increased tensions over the last two months. Says will renew invitation to Manmohan Singh.
At the same time, he said, Pakistan is open to the idea of an independent investigation, even one by the UN.
“We will propose the setting up of a joint mechanism to monitor tensions along the LoC. We are open to an independent investigation, even one by the UN,” PM Nawaz told NDTV correspondent Barkha Dutt in an interview in New York.
“If this is not acceptable to India, we can also look at calling a separate meeting of the two foreign secretaries and the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs).”
“Manmohan Singh is a good man and I am looking forward to my first meeting with him,” said Nawaz, expressing hope that Dr Singh would accept his invitation this time to visit Pakistan. “I will renew my invite to him. His visit is long overdue,” he said.
Asked about the fallout of the terror attacks in Jammu, Nawaz told NDTV, “I condemn the attack in the strongest words. This is a very sad incident and we should work hard to avoid such incidents from repeating.”
Asked to describe whether his mood was optimistic, pessimistic or pragmatic ahead of the meeting, he said: “I will only say I am meeting Manmohan Singh for the first time and I want to repair the threads broken in 1999.”
Previous regimes blamed
Speaking to the Pakistani community in New York, the prime minister said the loans taken by the previous government in the last five years are more than loans taken in the 40 to 50 years before that.
Former governments should be questioned about why they did not pay enough attention to the enormous loans that the country has accumulated, said Nawaz.
He said that these problems were “inherited by [former president] Zardari’s government from Musharraf’s government.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2013.