Islamabad: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has blamed India of being trapped in a ‘Cold War mindset’ and said that New Delhi is not serious in resolving issues through talks with Islamabad, which were resumed last month after a 14-month-long hiatus.
Qureshi said India is following the approach of ‘talks for the sake of talks’.
“Engaging in talks for the sake of talks will serve no purpose. India has to change its approach towards Pakistan which somehow continues to be anchored in the Cold War mindset,” Qureshi said.
During a meeting with his visiting Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Stor, Qureshi said Pakistan approached the February 25 foreign secretary level talks with India with an ‘open mindset’ and wanted its ties with the neighbouring country to normalise through meaningful dialogue.
Commenting on the Pakistan Army’s offensive against the extremists in Malakand and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), he stressed that it was important to accelerate the reconstruction and rehabilitation process in the region to achieve a ‘decisive victory against the Taliban’.
“Pakistan is diligently pursuing the strategy of clearing, holding and rebuilding the war-affected areas,” The Daily Times quoted Qureshi, as saying.
“There is nonetheless the need for international assistance and support to build the war-torn region as time is of the essence. Pakistan cannot afford for the efforts aimed at winning the hearts of the locals to unravel at this critical stage,” he added.
ANI
First Published: Thursday, March 04, 2010, 11:25