The death sentence awarded to Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested during the terror siege on Mumbai in November 2008, will not affect any future talks between New Delhi and Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said.Qureshi clarified that the Mumbai special anti-terror court's judgment against Kasab will not hinder the proposed talks between the foreign ministers of the two neighbouring countries.
Ahead of a possible meeting between their prime ministers in Thimphu, Pakistan on Tuesday said it wanted the resumption of composite dialogue with India at the political level, as the outcome of parleys between the foreign secretaries had been 'disappointing'."I don't think a forward movement can take place at the foreign-secretary level," Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said, adding, "If you want real progress, it will have to come from the political leaders"
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has denied Islamabad's role in last year's Mumbai terror attacks, but claimed that his government has concrete evidence to prove India's involvement in the ongoing terror activities in Pakistan."Now, it has been admitted globally that Pakistan was not involved in the Mumbai terror attacks. We have concrete evidence regarding Indian involvement in terror activities in Pakistan," the Daily Times quoted Qureshi as saying.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday welcomed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement favouring dialogue between the two countries and said it matched Islamabad's point of view.
Khan's visit evoked considerable interest in Beijing as it comes in the wake of his past criticism of the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects and remarks by his ministers to cut down some of the projects over debt concern.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi termed as a 'positive development' the Joint Statement issued last week after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani in Sharm-el Sheikh, Egypt, and said it needed to be taken forward.
Close on the heels of President Obama's announcement of the revamped Afghan strategy, Pakistan has said that it is concerned about the negative implications of the new US policy in Afghanistan.
Pak Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said despite acknowledging at a bilateral meeting in at Sharm-el-Sheikh that dialogue was the only way forward for the two countries, India did not yet appear to be ready.
His ministers's conduct may lead to a distancing between the army leadership and Prime Minister Imran Khan reveals Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.
Lalit Modi's attorney Mehmood Abdi on Tuesday said he will push for a neutral Supreme Court judge on the Board of Control for Cricket in India's disciplinary panel that is probing alleged financial irregularities by the suspended IPL chairman in the running of the T20 event.
Pakistan's powerful ISI is no longer considered a "friend" of Taliban in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has claimed.
Pakistan on Friday claimed that any talks between the Indian government and separatist Kashmiri leaders will not be successful without its involvement.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has met Home Secretary G K Pillai against the backdrop of apparent differences between the ministry of external affairs and the ministry of home affairs in connection with the Indo-Pak talks held recently. Rao met Pillai on Thursday and is understood to have briefed him about the recent talks between External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Addressing a joint press conference in Washington along with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that over the next few days the strategic talks will focus on Pakistan's energy and water needs.
Countering his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi's retort that India was not ready for the talks and that the Indian delegation got policy orders from New Delhi during Thursday's talks, Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna on Friday said it was normal to stay in contact with the leadership.
"I think the foreign minister of Pakistan does not know the ABC of diplomacy. He has to learn the basic elements of diplomacy i.e. courtesy and respect. You may or may not agree with the other person but you cannot leave courtesy and respect due to him," Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said.
Qureshi urged for unity among political parties in Pakistan on Kashmir and warned that doing politics on the issue would harm the cause.
The funny man of Hindi cinema has passed into the ages, but the laughter he generated will echo for years to come.
"It is obvious that the step is an afterthought following yesterday's apprehension of Pakistan high commission staffer Mehmood Akhtar in Delhi while indulging in anti-India activities. Pakistan's action further confirms that it continues to be in denial of its anti-India activities, including cross-border terrorism," Swarup said.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that a solution to the Kashmir dispute is critical for better ties between Pakistan and India. He also emphasised that there was a dire need to resolve the issue in accordance with the aspirations of Kashmiris. Qureshi further said that the Pakistan government had invited Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to resume the composite dialogue, which was necessary for ensuring peace in the region.
Home Minister P Chidambaram virtually ticked off Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi for his statement that it was difficult for his country to rein in elements like Lashkar-e-Tayiba founder Hafiz Saeed.
The decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan's Paktika and Khost provinces, thereby allowing militants to escape or seek reinforcement from the other side of the Pakistan border clearly exposes the US intentions, says a security expert.
Pakistan on Tuesday said it wants 'all bilateral issues,' including Kashmir, to be discussed at the foreign secretary-level talks on Thursday and feels much progress would not be made if India restricts the dialogue to a 'narrow agenda' of terrorism.
Iran and Pakistan recently signed an export deal that commits Tehran to selling natural gas to Islamabad from 2014.
As the United States Congress issued an "explanatory statement" saying the aid bill does not seek to compromise Pakistan's sovereignty, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the debate on the conditions in the legislation can be concluded as US concerns allayed its fears.
US President Barack Obama is expected to sign into law on Wednesday, the Kerry-Lugar bill for US $ 7.5 billion aid to Pakistan after two powerful Congressional committees issue an "explanatory statement" addressing concerns of its opponents, mainly the Pakistan Army.
Suspended IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi on Tuesday submitted his reply to the third showcause notice issued to him by the BCCI alleging irregularities in awarding theatrical rights during the third season of the Twenty20 event, his legal counsel said.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said the United States may be aware about Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's present location.
Rejecting Pakistan's contentions, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Tuesday that there had been no escalation of tensions on the part of India and that its military movements were routine winter exercises.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will chair the inter-ministerial meeting at the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Wednesday to assess the Indian offer of talks, after which a clearer picture of Pakistan's response is expected to emerge.
India's latest offer of talks has been taken up by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
Putting the onus of resumption of dialogue on India, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday said he was ready to meet his Indian counterpart S M Krishna anywhere at anytime and was even willing to fly back to New York on Thursday if he has time.
India's latest offer of talks has been taken up by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that an international probe should be conducted to investigate the recent encounters by the Indian security forces in Kashmir.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh could meet his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting scheduled to be held in November in Trinidad, sources said.However, when asked about the meeting, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, who met his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in New York on Sunday, said,: "We have just come out of one (meeting). So, give us some time."
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday shook hands on the sidelines of an international conference on Afghanistan, but there was no meeting between the two.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Wednesday said he would be "delighted" to meet his Pakistani counterpart "if an occasion arises," as the two leaders share space at a global conference on Afghanistan in London.
Suspended Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi on Sunday said his voluminous reply to the first BCCI showcause notice is not to defend himself but salvage the image of the Twenty20 event. 'My reply is not about defending Lalit Modi. It's about defending brand IPL,' Modi tweeted.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna will invite his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi to India during his visit to Islamabad in July as part of efforts to reduce the "trust deficit" between the two neighbours.
