Islamabad, Nov 30: Shortly after President Pervez Musharraf's announcement that the ban on Indian aircraft to overfly its airspace would be lifted, Pakistan today said the current momentum of the peace process should lead to a "composite dialogue" to resolve bilateral issues.
"If war is not an option, then peace is. We have to see how peace can be established. Peace can be established only through a sustained composite dialogue, in which all issues including Kashmir and others which India wishes to raise, has to be taken up simultaneously," Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said on a private television news channel.
Asked what Pakistan expected from India in response to the announcement regarding allowing Indian overflights, he said, "The Indian public opinion should be active and should not allow this momentum to fizzle out... A composite dialogue between the two countries needs to be initiated, so that future generations do not blame us for leaving behind a legacy of tension and violence."
Kasuri said the presence of a BJP-led government in India which was perceived to be hardline, and a military backed regime in Pakistan - both of which can take decisions - offered the right opportunity to resolve outstanding issues.
He said Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee should directly fly to Islamabad for the Saarc summit in January 2004 and not come via Dubai irrespective of whether the modalities for resumption of overflights were worked out or not.
Bureau Report