Nawaz Shareef wants better relations with India: Basit
New Delhi: While welcoming the Kashmiri separatist leadership invited by Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to participate in the celebrations of Pakistan day, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit on Wednesday said that prime minister Mian Nawaz Shareef is keen to have good relations with India.
According to KNS correspondent in Delhi, Basit and his wife received the Kashmiri separatist leadership including Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, Moulana Abbas Ansari, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Zaffar Akbar Bhat, Aga Syed Hassan, Mehraj-u-Din Kalwal, Ayaz Akbar, Zamrooda Habib, Fareeda Behanji, Yasmeen Raja and Mohammad Abdullah Wani and Ghulam Nabi Waseem.
In his brief welcome address, Basit said that that Pakistan seeks friendly and cooperative relations with all its neighbours, including India. He underlined the significance of the composite dialogue process for settling all outstanding issues between the two countries in a peaceful manner.
The Hurriyat Conference (M) executive council led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq is scheduled to meet Basiton Thursday morning at 9: 30 am. Besides Mirwaiz group, sources said the other factions of the Hurriyat Conference and JKLF are also likely to meet Basit on Thursday. During these separate meetings the separatists will discuss the present political situation in Kashmir and are likely to press for intensive efforts from Pakistan to resolve Kashmir issue.
While talking to media on the sidelines of the function in Pakistan high commission, Mirwaiz has told media persons that he wants people of India to elect a government which can resolve the Kashmir issue. The Hurriyat (M) chairman has also reiterated that people of India should understand that Kashmir is neither a law and order nor any administrative issue which can be managed through certain administrative initiatives.
“I told them (media persons) that Kashmir is a political issue which needs to be resolved politically. I said that Kashmir problem is like festering sore in the sub continent and there should be tri partite talks between India, Pakistan and the Kashmiri leadership for a permanent solution to this problem,” Mirwaiz told KNS.
Pertinently, Basit presented his credentials to President of India, Pranab Mukherjee at a ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhavan (President House) in New Delhi on Wednesday. The ceremony was attended by the officers of the Ministry of External Affairs, Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Pakistan High Commission, quoting sources, the KNS correspondent said. (KNS)