Pakistan Favors Dialogue Over War, Appreciates India's 'Intention' to Resume Talks

Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani emphasized the country's preference for dialogue over war, repeating Pakistan's stance for resuming talks with India. He appreciated India's intention to resume dialogue, despite ongoing threat perceptions. The announcement came as Pakistan accepted India's offer for talks at the level of foreign secretaries, a move seen as a positive step towards reviving the stalled Composite Dialogue.

Key Takeaways:

• Pakistan has consistently favored dialogue over war, with Prime Minister Gilani reiterating this stance in his interview.
• Gilani appreciated India's intention to resume talks, despite concerns about the threat perception from India.
• The Pakistani government has decided to accept India's offer for talks at the level of foreign secretaries, despite previous reluctance to revive the Composite Dialogue.
• The talks will focus on all bilateral issues, including terrorism, and will not be limited to just terrorism as previously proposed by India.
• Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, stated that issues of Kashmir and water should be top priorities in the talks agenda.
• High Commissioner Shahid Malik stated that India is ready to move forward and discuss all issues without any "preconditions".

Statistics:

• Four years: the length of time the peace process has been stalled between Pakistan and India.
• 2008: the year the Composite Dialogue was suspended due to the Mumbai attacks.
• 11 February: the date Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani made the statement about favoring dialogue over war.
• 1 (unnamed): the number of years Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari stated there was no threat from India.

Sources:

• APP news agency
• Dawn newspaper
• Daily Times
• Xinhua