ISLAMABAD: Pakistan wants to resolve all outstanding issues with India through dialogue, Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said on Monday.
Talking to Radio Pakistan, he said that Pakistan had also offered India to hold dialogue exclusively on Kashmir. “Pakistan is a peace-loving country and wants to have friendly relations with all its neighbors,” he said.
He termed the resolution of Kashmir issue imperative for durable peace in the region. All regional countries should focus on the prosperity of their people, who are suffering with the ills of poverty, he said.
He also called upon the international community to play its role for the early resolution of Kashmir dispute. He said that Pakistan wanted resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of Kashmiris and also in line with the UN Security Council’s resolutions.
He said that Pakistan had highlighted the Kashmir issue at all the international forums and would continue to do this till its resolution. About the ongoing brutalities of Indian forces in the held-Kashmir, he said that since the start of the indigenous movement of independence, over 100,000 Kashmiris had lost their lives, while 20,000 suffered physical disabilities.
He said that the freedom struggle had gained momentum in the wake of martyrdom of a Kashmiri youth on July 8. He mentioned that during the last five weeks, at least 70 Kashmiris had been martyred and 6,000 were injured including 500 receiving critical wounds.
He said that the Indian forces used pellet guns to torture the innocent Kashmiri youth and children. He said that Pakistan would continue to extend its moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris in their just struggle for right to self-determination.
On Pakistan’s role in elimination of terrorism, he said that Pakistan was the biggest victim of terrorism and had sacrificed 60,000 lives in this war. The country suffered a 150 billion dollars financial setback in its economy due to this war, he added.
He said that the world had acknowledged Pakistan’s sacrifices in the war against terrorism. He added that terrorism had become an international issue and Pakistan was ready to share its expertise with countries on counter- terrorism.
He said that there was a need to apprise the new generation about the Pakistan movement, which was a chapter of history with immense sacrifices. He added that out of the eight proposed segments of dialogue with India, Pakistan would always give priority to Kashmir issue.
On recent Quetta blast, he said that even though an Indian spy was arrested from Pakistani soil, but being a responsible country Pakistan would not blame any country before completion of investigation into the matter.
