PM stresses for constructive Pak-India engagement to build trust

App30-08pm-islamabad.jpgISLAMABAD, Aug 8 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Thursday said it was important that leadership of Pakistan and India engage constructively to build trust and confidence and improve the atmosphere, spoiled with recent incidents on the Line of Control. The Prime Minister was attending a briefing here at the Foreign Office soon after his arrival from Saudi Arabia to assess the situation after the reported killing of five Indian troops at Poonch sector. Pakistan has strongly rejected the accusations by India that its troops were involved. The Prime Minister regretted the recent incidents on the Line of Control (LoC) that flared up tensions between India and Pakistan and caused loss of precious human lives. He also stressed for the steps, both by Pakistan and India, to “ensure and restore ceasefire” along the Line of Control.

He said he was looking forward to  his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines  of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York. “During the meeting, we will discuss steps to further build trust and consolidate this relationship,” he added. The Prime Minister reiterated the resolve that Pakistan would persist in its efforts to improve relations with India through a constructive dialogue on all issues. He also emphasized that existing military to military channels could be  more optimally utilized to prevent misunderstanding and not allowing  situation to escalate. He said Pakistan was prepared to discuss steps with India for further  strengthening of existing mechanisms, both at the political and military levels. The Prime  Minister further said it was incumbent upon the leadership of both sides not to allow the situation to drift and to take steps for improving the atmosphere by engaging constructively. The briefing was also attended by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid, Advisor to Prime Minister on National Security Sartaj  Aziz and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq  Fatimi. Senior officials of the Foreign Office and Prime Minister’s Office also attended the briefing.