By H.S. Rao
Pakistan today said it would go ahead with the gas pipeline from Iran, with or without India, though all indications show New Delhi is interested in it.
This was stated here today by visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz who also said that time is now ripe to move towards dispute resolution with India and a durable peace in South Asia required a just settlement of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Addressing members of the think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies on "Pakistan's Pivotal Role for Regional Peace, Stability and Progress", Azeez said: "We are pursing plans for gas pipelines from Iran, from Turkmenistan and from Qatar onwards through Pakistan to India and even to China."
Later answering questions, he said "We will go ahead with the gas pipeline from Iran, with or without India's participation though indications show India is interested. The project is on track."
On Indo-Pak relations, he said, "We are engaged in a composite dialogue as part of the peace process to resolve all issues and improve relations. As a result, the atmosphere between the two countries has greatly improved. We have successfully implemented several confidence building measures including increased people-to-people contacts. Cricket has provided a great opportunity to build bridges.
"We believe that the time is now ripe to move towards dispute resolution. A durable peace in South Asia requires a just settlement of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people," he said.
"We recognize that a solution must be found that is acceptable to all three parties, Pakistan, India and most importantly the Kashmiris," Aziz said, adding, "To achieve such a solution, all of us will need to demonstrate courage, flexibility, determination and above all passion for a solution."
He noted Pakistan had made several proposals as suggestions for possible solutions such as self-governance and demilitarisation. "These ideas have found favourable resonance among the Kashmiris and merit serious discussions to find a way forward."
Welcoming efforts of "our friends" to facilitate the settlement of the Kashmir issue, Aziz said "Britain has a historic role in this regard and we have always encouraged the British to use their excellent relations with India and Pakistan to help us in our efforts to resolve this issue."
On the Iranian nuclear issue, Aziz said Islamabad opposed the use of force and would encourage all concerned parties to ensure a peaceful resolution of the issue. "We recognize that Iran's nuclear policies have recently created concerns in the international community. We have held several discussions with the Iranians on this issue.
"Our policy is very clear and we have conveyed this in unambiguous terms to the Iranian leadership. Pakistan is opposed to nuclear weapons proliferation but we recognize Iran's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes under the appropriate IAEA safeguards.
"We strongly advocate a negotiated solution to this issue and oppose resort to use of force as this will only aggravate the situation in an already disturbed region," the Pakistani Premier said.
