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Pak PM ready to 'go the extra mile'

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief today said his country was ready to 'go the extra mile' in building co-operative and good neighbourly relations with India.

Sharief invited Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to ''work closely with us for ushering in a new era of durable peace and stability in South Asia''.

In a message of 'sincere felicitations' to Vajpayee, Sharief said resumption of the dialogue between Pakistan and India, stalled over the Kashmir dispute, will pave the way for such an outcome.

''We hope that the Bharatiya Janata Party government, under your leadership, can bring forth a firm resolve to join us in building a happier, more prosperous future for our people,'' he said.

''I assure you that we, in Pakistan, are ready to go the extra mile in journeying towards co-operative and good neighbourly relations with India.''

Sharief, who is facing criticism at home for his policy of seeking a rapprochement with India, added, ''We have a special responsibility to step out of the old mindset of confrontation and tension to a new outlook enthused by the ideals of peace and development. This is what we owe to our peoples.''

Sharief closed his letter to the new Indian premier with the hope that ''our sincerity will be reciprocated in removing the underlying causes of conflict and tension, so that durable peace based on justice and equity can be brought to our region.''

UNI

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