The new government will work to improve relations with India in key areas like trade without putting the Kashmir issue on the backburner, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said. "The Kashmir issue is on the agenda in the composite dialogue. It's one of the top issues after peace and security and stability. It will remain so," he said.
"On the other hand, we feel that there are areas where we need to move on to our mutual benefit and advantage. Areas like trade". Noting that bilateral trade through official channels was worth over a billion dollars and there was also "informal" trade between the two countries, Qureshi told a private TV channel in an interview that India and Pakistan should use this as a means for resolving conflicts. "So let's call a spade a spade, and if enhanced trade can be used as an important confidence-building method to create a more enabling environment for our movement from conflict management to conflict resolution, we should not shy away from that," he said.
Asked if such an approach meant putting the Kashmir issue aside for a while, Qureshi, a senior leader of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, replied, "No, there is no question of putting the Kashmir issue on the backburner. What we plan to do is - we have been approaching this problem from a particular angle. Let's try a different approach.
"We are not forgetting Kashmir. How can we forget Kashmir? Kashmir is important for us. It's a very emotive issue within Pakistan. We will not forget it, we cannot forget it". Though PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had said in a recent interview with an Indian TV channel that the Kashmir issue should be set aside for resolution by a future generation, Qureshi claimed his party leader had been "misquoted". Zardari's comments were widely criticised by hard-liners in Pakistan and Kashmir and the PPP has subsequently distanced itself from the remarks.
Noting that the Kashmir problem "certainly is old", he said, "The approach is going to be new but in line with the aspirations of the people of Pakistan." Qureshi said Pakistan wants regional stability and peace and "a greater understanding" between the two countries. "We are neighbours, there are many areas where we can work in harmony, where we can cooperate with each other and benefit this region and our people," he said.
Replying to a question about his goals for India-Pakistan relations, he said, "The goals are very clear. The goals are we want to see peace and stability (and) increased economic activity. We feel that South Asia, which is an important area, has suffered because of our tense relations and because of hostilities in the past."
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