As India and China marked the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties, Beijing on Thursday said the two sides have put "great emphasis" on developing a comprehensive strategic partnership and hoped to cement it further during External Affairs Minister S M Krishna's visit next week.
Reiterating its concerns over the alleged interference of India in Pakistan through Afghanistan, Pakistan has said that the situation in the region cannot improve unless New Delhi stops its covert activities.Referring to the recent remarks of Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor -- that the Indian Armed forces were ready to fight China and Pakistan simultaneously -- Pakistan said such statements showcased New Delhi's 'hostile intent', which were not helpful.
"The total number of Chinese personnel in and on the border of Gilgit-Baltistan is uncertain, but most estimates suggest a minimum of 7,000," Selig Harrison told PTI.
After vacillating on India's offer of $ 5 million aid for victims of Pakistan's devastating floods for over two weeks, Islamabad has decided not to directly accept the assistance and instead asked that it should be routed through the United Nations.
The Indian government has not yet been formally asked to start supplying the aid and the Foreign Office spokesman said the matter is still being discussed. "We are working on it and the decision will soon be made public," spokesman Abdul Basit said.
Dismissing as "untenable" India linking resumption of talks with action against the Mumbai attack perpetrators, Pakistan said on Thursday, that a "true dialogue" does not come with pre-conditions. It also claimed it had evidence of India's involvement in fomenting trouble in south-western Balochistan province.
Pakistan is yet to decide on India's offer of $5 million as aid for providing relief to victims of the country's worst floods, with diplomatic sources saying that the proposal is being considered by the foreign office.
It was not clear why the Indian was not executed while four other convicts were put to death by the firing squad.
Pakistan has said it is 'free to raise any issue,' including Kashmir, differences over sharing of river waters and India's alleged interference in Balochistan, during the foreign secretary-level talks in New Delhi on February 25.
In yet another flip-flop, Pakistan has denied asking India to handover the lone November 2008 Mumbai attacker Ajmal Amir Kasab to it.
Pakistan on Thursday said no meeting has been fixed as yet between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan to take forward the bilateral process. Foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit said no meeting between the foreign ministers had been fixed, in the wake of the decision by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh to revive the peace process between the two countries.
Pakistan has negated claims that the Kashmir issue was close to settlement through backchannel diplomacy between Islamabad and New Delhi, with the country's foreign minister saying there was no mention of such developments in the records of the Foreign Office.
Pakistan will soon discuss the issue of India's alleged involvement in terror activities inside its geographical boundaries with New Delhi, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit has said.Reiterating that the security forces have recovered Indian arms and ammunitions during search operations in South Waziristan, where the military is engaged in an intense battle with the Taliban, Basit blamed India for not taking Islamabad's commitments against terrorism seriously.
Pakistan on Thursday said it would welcome any move to resume the composite dialogue process with India stalled since the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, but insisted that the talks should be 'result-oriented' and cover all outstanding issues, including Kashmir and sharing of river waters.
While India has indicated that it may restart the foreign secretary level talks with Pakistan, Islamabad maintains that it would accept nothing short of resumption of comprehensive 'composite dialogue' with New Delhi.
Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said India has not yet officially informed Pakistan government about the development. Basit said the arrest is an "internal matter" and would have no bearing on SAARC activities
Pakistan wanted to evolve a roadmap to discuss bilateral issues with India during the recent foreign minister-level talks but the other side was not prepared to do so, its Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said on Sunday.
Pakistan has welcomed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's willingness to resume bilateral dialogue on all pending issues. "Dr Singh's statement is a welcome reiteration of the understanding reached at the Sharm-El Sheikh summit between Pakistan and India," The Dawn quoted Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit as saying.Basit said Pakistan welcomes India's readiness to discuss all outstanding issues, especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
Blaming India for their pull out from the Asian Squash Championships, Pakistan have lodged a complaint with the World and Asian squash bodies, alleging that the hosts deliberately delayed visas to their team.
Indian Home Secretary GK Pillai's comments ahead of External Affairs Minister SM Krishna's trip to Islamabad on Wednesday on Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI's pro-active role in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks came as a surprise to the Pakistani Foreign Office establishment.
UK's new coalition Prime Minister and Tory party leader David Cameron is all set to 'carpet bomb' India in the last week July. In his first foreign state visit since he took office two months earlier, Cameron is expected to land in India with half his cabinet colleagues on July 26, two days ahead of his formal diplomatic mission.
Pakistan said no meeting had been scheduled between Prime Ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Manmohan Singh till Thursday on the sidelines of the South Asian Association of Regional Corporation summit later this month, though it had proposed one and insisted that restarting dialogue was "a necessity".
'The Pakistani game plan in making its envoy in India to perform the last rites of a fledgling peace process is madness with a method.'
National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon will be leaving on a four-day trip to China on Saturday.
According to Pakistan's National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) list, which was updated on Tuesday, JuD and FIF were among 70 organisations proscribed by the ministry of Interior under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.
Pakistan's Foreign Office apparently sent an official known for his ability to read faces to receive Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao on her arrival in Rawalpindi in a bid to find out what was on her mind.
Pakistan has rejected India's stance on occupied Kashmir, saying the dispute over the region was a result of New Delhi's refusal to implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Pakistan on Thursday accused some world powers of enabling India to pursue its nuclear programme to the detriment of regional peace and stability and said it would take all possible steps to protect its security interests.
Pakistan on Thursday said it was not responsible for the lack of progress in the recent foreign secretary-level talks and the ball is now in India's court to respond to its proposals like participation of the political leadership in the dialogue process to normalise ties.
Pakistan on Thursday said it has asked India to provide "additional evidence" for the early completion of the Mumbai attack trial in which Lashkar-e-Tayiba operations commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and six others are accused.
Three days after the foreign secretaries meeting, Pakistan on Sunday said it is ready to participate in the composite dialogue process with India provided there are no preconditions from the other side.
Pakistan has 'categorically' rejected allegations that it has illegally modified US missiles to enhance its land strike capability.
"We condemn the brutal use of force by Indian security forces against peaceful and unarmed protesters," it said.
The Pakistan foreign office has expressed concern over the remarks of Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna about next week's foreign secretary-level talks in New Delhi, and insisted that the outcome of the meeting should not be prejudged nor its scope circumscribed.
Pakistan on Friday dismissed reports claiming Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Omar had fled from Quetta to Karachi, with the help of the Inter Services Intelligence, to avoid the possibility of being targeted by United States drones."This is ridiculous to say the least," Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told reporters. He said there had been speculations about Omar's presence in Pakistan 'for years'.
Pakistan on Monday said it is 'not hesitant' about solving terror-related issues with India, though the Kashmir dispute will have to be settled to ensure absolute peace in the region.
Pakistan on Wednesday welcomed 'the joint reiteration' by the United States and China to promote peace and stability in South Asia. President Barack Obama indicated on Tuesday that the US wants China to help improve relations between India and Pakistan. He reportedly raised the issue during his meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing.
Pakistan Rangers resorted to ceasefire violations by targeting civilian population in RS Pura sector in Jammu.
'It is not possible for New Delhi to take sides between Beijing and Washington.'
Pakistan on Thursday reacted in a guarded manner to the death sentence handed down to its national Ajmal Kasab by Mumbai court for his involvement in the 26/11 attacks, saying its legal experts would study the detailed judgement.
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