Days ahead of her visit to New Delhi for crucial talks with her Indian counterpart, Pakistan’s new Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said her priority in the parleys with India would be to set a future direction for the bilateral relationship.
Ms. Khar said it is a “positive step” that India is serious in the talks and is moving to institutionalise the process of negotiations with Pakistan.
There was forward movement in recent talks between the two countries, she said.
The Pakistani position for the upcoming talks is that it wants to “look at the entire picture and at the root causes of problems”, Ms. Khar said in an interview with state-run PTV.
It was the success of Pakistan to bring India back to the negotiating table, and the priority for the upcoming talks would be to set a future direction for bilateral relationship, she added.
During her talks with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, the two sides will take stock of progress made at secretary-level talks. Ms. Khar will travel to India on July 26 and hold talks with Mr. Krishna the following day.
AfPak ties
She said Pakistan is pro-actively engaging with neighbouring countries, particularly Afghanistan and India, to achieve sustainable peace and stability in the region.
She said peace and stability in Afghanistan is critical for Pakistan and the destinies of the two countries are inter-linked. Pakistan desires that Afghanistan should be peaceful and stable, she added.
“The only role of Pakistan as a neighbour is to help stabilise Afghanistan... We insist that the reconciliation process in Afghanistan must be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned,” Ms. Khar said.
Afghanistan should be a sovereign country and due consideration should be given to what the Afghan jirgas, government and parliament say, she said.
“Many countries have the view that any foreign presence in the region will create problems in the long run,” she remarked.
Jamiat leader not happy with Khar appointment
Meanwhile, the chief of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has criticised the appointment of Hina Rabbani Khar as the new Foreign Minister, saying it was not a “wise decision” to have a businesswoman holding the post.
Ms. Khar, 34, this week became Pakistan’s youngest and first woman Foreign Minister.
“We have reservations over the decision and we do not know who she will represent (Pakistan) on the diplomatic front,” he told reporters at parliament on Thursday.
Referring to the upcoming talks with India, Mr. Rehman said Ms. Khar will face a “very senior, experienced and wise” leader when she meets Mr. Krishna on July 27.
“What priorities will our new Foreign Minister have and how will she fight Pakistan’s case?” said Mr. Rehman, who heads a special parliamentary committee on Kashmir.
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