Click to play videoPort of Spain: Pakistan has ruled out any dialogue with India at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Port of Spain.
In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Indo-Pak peace process could continue only if India reciprocated.
Qureshi also asked India not to be myopic and added that even though Pakistan has enough evidence to convict most of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks accused but the evidence against Lashkar-e-Toiba chief Hafiz Saeed is not adequate.
Criticising India Qureshi said that there had to be real progress in bilateral talks.
Excerpts of the interview:
Suhasini Haider: You are here, Indian delegation is here. Your counterpart SM Krishna is here. Is there a meeting between the two of you on the cards?
Shah Mahmood Qureshi: I have always welcomed a meeting. But it has to be a meaningful meeting. It has to be a dialogue which is result oriented. We have had engagements; we met on sidelines in New York. I shared with him (SM Krishna) my vision of the future, my roadmap of engagement for the future. They (Indian government) have to respond, they have failed to respond so far. Pakistan is interested in an engagement which is meaningful, result oriented. We are no longer interested in a photo opportunity.
Suhasini Haider: Indian government says again and again that Pakistan has failed to bring to justice those behind Mumbai attacks.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi: On the contrary I think Pakistan has made reasonable progress on the investigation. The trial has begun, they have been chargeshtterted, they are under trial and we feel that we have collected sufficient against them to argue a genuine case for their conviction. On Hafiz Saeed, honestly, the evidence provided is inadequate.
Suhasini Haider: Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) has in fact made a statement in Jammu and Kashmir that if Pakistan abjures violence we are ready to meet more than half way on talks.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi: I think we have to get out of the old mindset. We have to realise that there is a great opportunity coming our way. If you want to limit the dialogue that will not be acceptable to Pakistan. Let us sit and talk and talk as neighbours who have to co-exist. We have to help each other. The challenge is too large. I think you (India) are being myopic. You are being narrow-minded. You have to look at the boarder picture and the broader picture demands cooperation and not confrontation.
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