Clear chasm between what India says, what it does, says Pak

Pakistan alleged there is a "clear chasm" between India's statements and actions on the issue of resumption of the stalled dialogue process and asked New Delhi to take steps for holding meaningful and result-oriented parleys.

"There is a clear chasm between what India says and what it does. Otherwise, Pakistan and India should have surely been able to resolve or to normalise their relations on the basis of settling their bilateral disputes, including the Kashmir dispute," Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told a weekly news briefing.

Basit stated this when he was asked to comment on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks yesterday that India wants to resolve all outstanding issues with Pakistan through dialogue. "As far as we are concerned, India needs to bridge the wide gap which exists between what it says and what it does," he said.

"For Pakistan, dialogue does not mean that we periodically sit across the table with India and reiterate our known respective positions. We want a meaningful and result-oriented dialogue process," Basit said. Pakistan, he added, will welcome it if India moved "beyond rhetoric and blame game."

Basit contended that there was "nothing on the ground which inspires hope" about the resumption of the bilateral dialogue. He also criticised India's handling of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, claiming its stand "reaffirms its blinkered approach and refusal to resolve the dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiris."

"Whenever our two countries resume the dialogue process, one hopes that India comes to that dialogue with an open mind and with an objective to achieve something out of that dialogue rather than just talk and have photo sessions," he said.

Responding to another question on India blaming Pakistan's ISI for links with acts of terrorism, Basit said: "Unfortunately, India seems to be obsessed with the ISI. You will agree with me that in an obsession, one loses the capacity to be objective. That, in turn, results in erratic diagnoses and faulty prescriptions."

He recalled that India had blamed the ISI for the 2007 bombing of the Samjhauta Express train that killed 42 Pakistanis. "India instantly accused the ISI and now we know as to who are responsible for that heinous crime. We urge India to share its findings of the investigation into the Samjhauta blasts and bring the perpetrators to justice," he said.

Basit said Pakistan had discussed the Kashmir issue with the US in the latest round of the Strategic Dialogue between the two countries. He also said Pakistan has "no concerns" regarding US President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to India.

Answering a query on Pakistan's concerns and expectations from the visit, he said: "Frankly, we hope that this visit of the US President to India would help promote stability and peace in South Asia. This is what we are expecting because the US is a major power and it has influence across the world."

Pakistan is hoping that Obama "would take up those issues which are central to ensuring peace and stability in this region," he said.