Pak President warns against 'false euphoria' over Indo-Pak talks

Sonny Abraham in Dubai

Pakistan President Farooq Ahmed Leghari has, in a newspaper interview, cautioned against a ''false euphoria'' about Indo-Pakistan ties in the wake of the recent meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries.

At the same time, he has called for continued talks between the two countries for a peaceful resolution of all issues, including Kashmir.

''I am not that euphoric,'' Leghari, currently on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates, told the Dubai-based Khaleej Times in an interview published on Monday.

Leghari was referring to the recent meeting between Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharief during the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit in Maldives, when they agreed upon some confidence-building measures to help improve bilateral ties.

''We must continue to talk -- meaningful structured talks on all issues, including Kashmir,'' he said, adding that Gujral also believed that the talks should not be allowed to break.

About the ''core issue'' of Kashmir, Leghari said, ''We don't see it resolving overnight.''

''We are not asking for that. We are talking about moves towards a resolution of Kashmir,'' he said. In this context, he said India should reduce the "staggeringly high force" in Kashmir.

Leghari said he had always worked for a peaceful resolution of disputes between India and Pakistan.

He stressed the need for the leadership in the two countries to realise that the answer to these problems lay only in peaceful ways, not in wars or a military confrontation.

Leghari spoke about the economic benefits that the two countries could reap by undertaking joint mega projects. He also spoke about the possibility of India meeting its energy needs from Central Asia and Pakistan.

Referring to the recent developments in Afghanistan, Leghari said he was glad the country had been spared the "bad confrontation between Pushtoons and non-Pushtoons". "We need stability in Afghanistan more than any other country," he said. He described the Taleban as "home-grown commodities" and said the militia had succeeded because the people were "rising up".

According to the newspaper, Leghari said he was quite comfortable with the present power structure in Pakistan after a constitutional amendment depriving his office of the right to sack legislatures and the prime minister and appoint armed service chiefs.

Leghari said he had been the catalyst for these developments. Sharief had consulted him before moving ahead in the matter, he said and added they had regular consultations on affairs of state.

The president said he had used his powers to dismiss former prime minister Benazir Bhutto "very reluctantly". He said his decision had been vindicated by the Supreme Court and the results of the election. Bhutto, he said, was "on a path to acquire more and more powers in the government and in semi-government sectors, like banking".

UNI