ISLAMABAD – Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said Saturday that good relations between his country and India were essential to fight militancy, and that he wants a resumption of wide-ranging talks between the two longtime rivals.
Zardari's comments came a day after top diplomats from the two countries agreed to hold talks in Delhi on Feb. 25 — their first formal dialogue since the 2008 deadly Mumbai siege.
The agreement marks a significant thawing of relations between the two countries. Ties have long been marred by disputes over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir and plummeted after the Mumbai attack, which India blamed on Pakistan-based militants.
The United States has been pressuring both sides to resume talks, hoping that reduced tensions between them will help its strategy against militants in Afghanistan and in Pakistan's tribal belt.
If tensions between Pakistan and India ease, it may enable Islamabad to shift some troops away from its border with India to fight against Taliban militants on the Afghan border.
A statement from Zardari's office Saturday said the president met with Pakistan's high commissioner to India and told him that "good neighborly relations were essential for the welfare of the people of both countries and also for fighting militancy."
Zardari said he wants wide-ranging talks known as the composite dialogue to resume. India put the talks on hold after the Mumbai attacks. That dialogue covered a broad range of issues and had been intended to lead toward a full normalization of relations.
Leaders of the two countries have met on the sidelines of international conferences since the attacks, but broad engagement with Pakistan remains a sensitive issue in New Delhi because of continuing suspicions that Islamabad has not done enough to rein in Muslim extremists operating in Pakistan.
Kashmir, a Himalayan region split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both, is at the heart of decades of bitterness between the two countries. They have fought two wars over control of the region, and insurgent groups seeking either independence or a merger with Pakistan have been fighting Indian rule there since 1989.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100213/...pakistan_india

Yes, the same people who funded the BEngali revolution. Good start!

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[QUOTE=PKB;2306646]Naveen is hot n sexy :)[/QUOTE]

Nice joke!

For the crop of Khareef ... this same president and his cronies remained silent and unmoved over the water issue despite constant warnings from relevant departments and media on india's stealing Chenab water. But then came the sugar-cane crop and the letter was written to Manmohan Singh because 50 Sugar Mills in Pakistan out of total 78 are owned by people who are in one form or other are his cronies. So if zardari thinks india's friendship is essential in fighting militancy ... that means unless we kneel down india won't stop funding and arming TTP. duh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mark my words guys "ZARDARI AND CO WILL DESTROY PAKISTAN"

Not much different than what the Pakistani admins are doing with Indian members on this site...

lol.

Now they can fund the balochi, pashto, Taliban too!

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[QUOTE=PKB;2306646]Naveen is hot n sexy :)[/QUOTE]

bhai jaan ... first of all the nature of dialogue is not decided yet ... they are still in the atmosphere of "we will talk this and not this" ...

and behind that india is rapidly preparing a "fast deployment doctrine" ... the most lethal preparations for surgical strikes in Pakistan ... at least, what they think they can do. But cutting a long story short, the conflict looks inevitable. I don't say that the process of dialogue should be stopped but I think "altruism" won't work in this scenario ... we will have to be mightily alert.

^ You are ready with your gear, right?

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ADMINS SUCK

aaaho