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Thursday, February 05, 2009 (13:06:41) |
| Tags : reports, Islamabad, Mumbai terror attacks, India, international pressure, visit, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon |
Resume composite dialogue, Ban urges India, Pakistan |
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Islamabad: In the interest of regional peace and stability, India and Pakistan should resume their composite dialogue, halted in the wake of the Mumbai carnage that New Delhi blames on elements operating from this country, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said.
"In a meeting with (Pakistani) Prime Minister (Yousuf Raza) Gilani, I had asked for maintaining and strengthening the rapprochement between India and Pakistan that has taken its own momentum during the last several years as regional cooperation will pave a new era of cooperation, a peaceful co-existence and socioeconomic transformation in South Asia," Ban said at a joint press conference at the Prime Minister's House here Wednesday.
Ban was on a daylong visit to Pakistan.
Terming Kashmir an "important issue" between the two countries, the UN secretary general said the international community wanted both countries to remain engaged in their composite dialogue to resolve this and other long-pending disputes.
"All these issues should be addressed peacefully through dialogue," Ban maintained.
India had temporarily halted the composite dialogue process following the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that claimed more than 170 lives, including those of 26 foreigners, and injured over 300.
India Jan 5 submitted a detailed dossier to Pakistan pointing to the involvement of elements from this country in the Mumbai mayhem. Gilani said on Sunday that Islamabad had examined the document and would submit a report to New Delhi through diplomatic channels. He has also said that Pakistan was willing to amend its laws to enable prosecution of its nationals who were responsible for terror attacks outside the country.
Ban welcomed the statement while Gilani reiterated it at the press conference.
"My interior adviser told the cabinet today that the law exists and, if needed, it could be improved. I want to make it clear that we will not allow anyone to use the Pakistani soil against any country," Gilani maintained.
India to discuss Mumbai terror with UN chief today
New Delhi: Amid reports about Islamabad trying to delink itself from the Mumbai terror attacks, India plans to intensify international pressure on Pakistan during the day-long visit of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon here today.
The UN chief, who comes here after a short visit to Pakistan, will attend the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS), which focuses on addressing the issue of global climate change.
He will meet External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and discuss with him a host of regional issues, including the resurgence of violence in Afghanistan and the situation in Myanmar.
Besides the UN reforms and the global financial issues, the Nov 26 Mumbai terror attacks will figure prominently in the discussions.
When Mukherjee meets Ban, he is expected to share with the UN chief the evidence linking Pakistani nationals to the Mumbai atrocity. Mukherjee is likely to discuss different avenues within the UN to intensify pressure on Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage to justice.
India is carefully weighing the option of approaching the UN Security Council if Pakistan repudiates the evidence given by India that links elements in Pakistan to the attacks.
New Delhi is also said to be compiling a detailed list of individuals and entities based in Pakistan who have been involved in different attacks on India since the 2006 bombings on commuter trains in Mumbai.
In the coming days, the Indian government is expected to press the UN to include more such entities and individuals based in Pakistan to be included in the terror list of the UN.
The UN chief is also expected to meet the UN special envoy on Myanmar, Ibarhim Gambari, in New Delhi. Gambari, who is flying here after a trip to the junta-ruled Myanmar, will brief Ban on his talks with detained pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and with Myanmarese officials on issues of democracy and human rights.
During his visit here last year, Ban had urged India to play a more proactive role in promoting democratic reconciliation in Myanmar.
Kashmir most important issue in South Asia: Ban Ki-moon
Islamabad: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has described the Kashmir stand-off as the most important issue in South Asia and expressed satisfaction over Pakistan's investigation into the Mumbai attacks, reports Geo TV.
Addressing a joint press conference with Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani here Wednesday, he urged Pakistan to cooperate with India in its probe into the attacks.
"Ban described the Kashmir stand-off as the most important issue of South Asia and also appreciated Pakistan's role in the war on terror," the report said.
Gilani said that Pakistan was against terrorism in all its forms and those who commit criminal acts outside the country would be brought to justice.
He added that Pakistan would not allow use of its territory for terrorist activities.
Some 170 people were killed in the Nov 26-29 Mumbai terror attacks. (IANS) |
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