In a surprisingly blunt message Pakistan has called on the United States to steer clear of Indo-Pak relations. Speaking at a gathering in New Delhi today (April 20), Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik told Washington that New Delhi and Islamabad are more than capable of resolving their differences on their own.
21 April 2008: Times Now TV
In a surprisingly blunt message Pakistan has called on the United States to steer clear of Indo-Pak relations. Speaking at a gathering in New Delhi today (April 20), Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik told Washington that New Delhi and Islamabad are more than capable of resolving their differences on their own.
Malik very categorically declared, "On Pakistan-India relation, my advice is to please let both Pakistan and India conduct their relations bi-laterally. The composite dialogue process is proceeding well and next month on the 20th and the 21st the foreign Minister will be traveling to Pak to carry the process forward".
The Pakistan High Commissioner's rather emphatic message to Washington suggests a subtle change in Islamabad's approach to solving outstanding disputes between India and Pakistan. In the past Pakistan has sought to internationalise disputes between the two countries, in particular the Kashmir issue. In fact, time and again Pakistan has called upon Washington to mediate disputes between the two countries.
Welcoming Malik's statement, Salim Bokhari, editor of the Pakistani daily -The News, said, "I think what Malik has said is not out of the context. This I think, is the part of the policy that Pakistan's new coalition Government is going to follow in the days to come and now the situation demands that the leadership of the two countries should sit across the table and talk out what the issues are. I think it’s the right approach that they have adopted and i congratulate Shahid Malik who had the guts to say that sitting right in the heart of New Delhi."
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