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Kasuri lauds Vajpayee for his `real leadership`
Islamabad, Jun 03: Making it clear that it was not `ruffled` by statements from India insisting on Pakistan addressing cross-border terrorism, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri today said Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has `demonstrated real leadership` by taking the peace initiative.
Islamabad, Jun 03: Making it clear that it was not "ruffled" by statements from India insisting on Pakistan addressing cross-border terrorism, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri today said Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has "demonstrated real leadership" by taking the peace initiative.
"I absolutely believe that Prime Minister Vajpayee has demonstrated real leadership. He has shown much strength in the background of very provocative statements from his ministers......I am quite happy with Vajpayee. His heart is in the right place," Kasuri said in a television interview.
He said Pakistan was not "ruffled" by a series of subsequent statements putting emphasis on Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorism. "We politicians talk to different audience.....It happens all the time."
"We have to learn to live with each other. We cannot chose interlocutors. We have to deal with whosoever in power in both the countries," the Pakistani foreign minister said.
On Pakistan's perception that Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani was a hardliner, Kasuri said the Indians should stop demonising President Pervez Musharraf. Likewise, Pakistan too should stop demonising Advani. "We have to learn to live with each other. We cannot chose interlocutors. We have to deal with whosoever is in power in both the countries. Our relationship is far more important than to get bogged down with rhetoric," he said adding by doing that both the countries would be strengthening Vajpayee and Pakistan Premier Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali to bring about a meaningful dialogue.
Kasuri said though Agra summit achieved little, he considered it successful. "Both Vajpayee and Musharraf behaved very responsibly in Agra. Both of them were denied a Nobel Peace Prize in the last minute. They have agreed to a draft. I know it and you know it," he said.
He denied the existence of militants' training camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and said that Pakistan prevented nine out of ten militants from crossing over to Jammu and Kashmir.
Replying to persistent questions about the allegations of the presence of 120 militant camps in PoK, he said, "These are allegations. The number you mention is staggering, unless they are referring to refugee camps. There are no training camps. There are no terrorist training camps. These are refugee camps." Kasuri said Pakistan has sealed the LoC and if infiltration was taking place it was despite the efforts of Pakistan government.
Stating that Pakistan was seriously interested in dialogue with India, Kasuri said the two countries should address each other's concerns.
When reminded about his statements in April this year about closure camps, Kasuri said he only referred to camps to collect funds but not terrorist training camps.
Asked whether he could categorically say that there were no militant camps, he said, "I am the foreign minister for six months. I know that there are no training camps. The camps I had in my mind was the ones President Musharraf ordered to close down." He said Pakistan was not in a position to stop infiltration even if it wanted. "We are not in a position even if it is completely wanted because people are in suicide missions," he said.
Kasuri denied he was a "puppet" in the military-dominated political set-up saying Jamali and Musharraf have given him a free hand.
Bureau Report
He said Pakistan was not "ruffled" by a series of subsequent statements putting emphasis on Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorism. "We politicians talk to different audience.....It happens all the time."
"We have to learn to live with each other. We cannot chose interlocutors. We have to deal with whosoever in power in both the countries," the Pakistani foreign minister said.
On Pakistan's perception that Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani was a hardliner, Kasuri said the Indians should stop demonising President Pervez Musharraf. Likewise, Pakistan too should stop demonising Advani. "We have to learn to live with each other. We cannot chose interlocutors. We have to deal with whosoever is in power in both the countries. Our relationship is far more important than to get bogged down with rhetoric," he said adding by doing that both the countries would be strengthening Vajpayee and Pakistan Premier Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali to bring about a meaningful dialogue.
Kasuri said though Agra summit achieved little, he considered it successful. "Both Vajpayee and Musharraf behaved very responsibly in Agra. Both of them were denied a Nobel Peace Prize in the last minute. They have agreed to a draft. I know it and you know it," he said.
He denied the existence of militants' training camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and said that Pakistan prevented nine out of ten militants from crossing over to Jammu and Kashmir.
Replying to persistent questions about the allegations of the presence of 120 militant camps in PoK, he said, "These are allegations. The number you mention is staggering, unless they are referring to refugee camps. There are no training camps. There are no terrorist training camps. These are refugee camps." Kasuri said Pakistan has sealed the LoC and if infiltration was taking place it was despite the efforts of Pakistan government.
Stating that Pakistan was seriously interested in dialogue with India, Kasuri said the two countries should address each other's concerns.
When reminded about his statements in April this year about closure camps, Kasuri said he only referred to camps to collect funds but not terrorist training camps.
Asked whether he could categorically say that there were no militant camps, he said, "I am the foreign minister for six months. I know that there are no training camps. The camps I had in my mind was the ones President Musharraf ordered to close down." He said Pakistan was not in a position to stop infiltration even if it wanted. "We are not in a position even if it is completely wanted because people are in suicide missions," he said.
Kasuri denied he was a "puppet" in the military-dominated political set-up saying Jamali and Musharraf have given him a free hand.
Bureau Report