UN, May 18: Pakistan has said it does not envisage that the change of government in India would cause delay in commencing the composite dialogue process scheduled to begin in June to resolve all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir. "Normally there is some delay when a new government takes over. Hopefully, the government in India will be formed much before then (the timeframe for meetings). So that cannot be a reason for delay," Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri told reporters here yesterday. He was hopeful there would not be any delay in the meeting at foreign secretaries level in June and that of Foreign Ministers in July or August. India and Pakistan had chalked out a timetable in February to discuss all bilateral issues.


Kasuri said he also wanted the new government in India to be assured that Pakistan is committed to peace.

"As far as government of Pakistan is concerned, I would like to assure the new government that we are determined to have peace with India," he said after addressing the UN Security Council on peace keeping operations.


Congress leader Sonia Gandhi herself had affirmed the position of her party's to continue the peace process in her very first statement after the poll outcome.
Bureau Report