India-Pakistan relation: UAE mediation welcome, says Pak official

Pakistan's Foreign Minister said that his country welcomes UAE mediation to sort out issues between India and Pakistan. In an exclusive interview given to Khaleej Times (KT), the minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the Indo-Pak peace talks should be initiated between the two countries, even though there can be suggestive facilitators.

"We welcome third-party facilitation but, no matter what friends say, the initiative has to be indigenous. The political will has to be demonstrated by the leadership of India and Pakistan," KT quoted Qureshi as saying on Sunday. He stressed that it is up to the people of South Asia to decide what kind of future they seek for their coming generations.

The UAE is a haven for a large number of Pakistan and Indian diaspora and the citizens of both countries have contributed to the development of the UAE, he says.

He said that he is in the UAE to discuss bilateral ties between UAE-Pakistan and that meeting with the Indian foreign minister, who is to visit the UAE on Sunday, has not yet decided. "I don't think a meeting is set out with the Indian foreign minister," Qureshi stated.

The FM pointed out that there are some positive developments between the two countries recently. "For example, the recent recommitment to the 2003 ceasefire understanding is a good development because Kashmiris on both sides were suffering from unprovoked firing. That, in my view, is a positive development," Qureshi remarked.