Pakistan seeks dialogue with India

Pakistanâ„¢s foreign ministry says the Islamabad government is seeking an early resumption of constructive dialogue with its arch-rival India.

Å“Pakistan looks forward to an early resumption of the dialogue process. It is important that both sides make serious efforts in maintaining the positive atmosphere and avoid negative propaganda,” the foreign office spokesperson Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry said.

India and Pakistan are trying to resume the peace process which was stalled in January.

The Indian government on Wednesday summoned Pakistan’s deputy envoy to New Delhi to protest the killing of five of its soldiers along the de-facto border dividing the disputed Kashmir.

The deadly attack happened on Tuesday in Poonch area of the Indian-administered Kashmir.

Indian officials have accused Pakistani troops of violating the ceasefire and attacking the Indian post. Islamabad has denied any involvement in the attack, saying there has been no indiscriminate firing by Pakistani forces on Kashmir’s de-facto border.

The Pakistani spokesman also insisted that Islamabad did not wish to descend into a tit-for-tat response.

Å“Pakistan also urges the need for abiding by and strengthening existing military mechanisms to ensure that such ill-founded reports that have the potential of vitiating the atmosphere, are avoided,” said Chaudhry.

Meanwhile, Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid said New Delhi did not want to create a situation Å“detrimental and destructive for Indiaâ„¢s security and peace”.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947– two of them over Kashmir.

Kashmir lies at the heart of more than 60 years of hostility between India and Pakistan. Both neighbors claim the region in full but have partial control over it.

Thousands of people have been killed in Kashmir over the past 20 years.

JR/KA