‘Pakistan wants Kashmir settlement’

NEW DELHI—Foreign Minister Inam ul Haq said Pakistan would ask India to resolve all outstanding issues including Kashmir to establish permanent peace in the region.
Talking to reporters on Thursday evening on his arrival here to attend the Saarc Council of Ministers meeting being commenced on December 7 and 8 Foreign Minister said he would meet his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee and ask to resolve all issues including Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek.
Inam ul Haq will also hold bilateral meetings with other Foreign Ministers from Saarc countries on the sidelines of the Ministerial meeting and discuss matters of mutual interests.
Referring to Ministerial meeting, he said this sitting of the Saarc was being held primarily to take stock of the implementation status of decisions taken at the Saarc Summit held here in early April. The meetings of Saarc programming Committee and Standing Committee had already been held to prepare recommendations to be submitted to Ministerial meeting to discuss and endorse them.
He said the Saarc, now entering into third decade had made important achievements. Matters relating to enhancement of trade, poverty alleviation, regional connectivity, environment and setting up of Saarc Development Fund would be reviewed at the meeting.
He said Saarc region had progressed in term of economic development but ratio of regional trade was only 5 % as compared to its trade with the rest of the world. He stressed the need to enhance trade among the regional nations. To another question, Inam ul Haq said fourth round of Composite Dialogue between Pakistan and India had completed and Foreign Secretaries would meet early next year to review the situation. Inam ul Haq will attend the 2-day meeting of Saarc Council of ministers commencing on Friday.—Agencies