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Pakistan wants long-term LoC opening

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Monday that it wanted the opening of points along the Line of Control (LoC) as a long-term arrangement.

At a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office Spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said that Pakistan wanted the opening of the five LoC points for the long term for the benefit of the Kashmiri people. “Pakistan also wants trade across the line (LoC) to boost economic activity in the region,” she said.

Aslam rejected allegations that Pakistan was supporting terrorism across the LoC, saying that Pakistan condemned all sorts of terrorism. The spokeswoman pointed out that the Indian Army chief had acknowledged last month that infiltration was no longer a problem and that violence had decreased in Jammu and Kashmir.

However, she expressed Pakistan’s concern over human rights violations by Indian forces in Jammu Kashmir.

Aslam said that the Maharashtra government had proposed a few sites for the Pakistani Consulate in Mumbai, saying Pakistan hoped that the consulate would be opened by the beginning of next year.

She also dismissed reports in the Indian media implicating Pakistan in the killing of an Indian national in Afghanistan. Referring to the killings of eight Pakistani workers in Afghanistan since August, she said that Pakistanis themselves were victims of terrorism.

About India’s statement in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) calling for greater transparency regarding the AQ Khan network, Aslam said that Pakistan had cooperated with the IAEA in accordance with its commitment to non-proliferation and the IAEA was appreciative of this cooperation.

She said that President Pervez Musharraf will pay official visits to Kuwait and Yemen from December 3 to 6, and will attend the Third Extraordinary Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Mecca on December 7-8.

She said that the OIC summit will consider and approve a 10-year Programme of Action based on the recommendations of a Commission of Eminent Persons.

The proposed strategy will outline a course of collective action by the OIC countries on a whole range of issues, including “Islamophobia”, promotion of intra-OIC trade and commercial links, sustainable development, literacy, international terrorism and development of science and technology.

The president’s visit to Kuwait is aimed at strengthening economic relations between the two countries and exploring avenues for cooperation, particularly in exporting manpower to Kuwait and encouraging Kuwaiti investment in Pakistan, she said.

Musharraf’s visit to Yemen is a useful opportunity to strengthen political and economic relations, she said.

SANA adds: Aslam hoped that the pledges made by donor countries for relief and rehabilitation after the October 8 earthquake will be fulfilled soon.

“We hope that the $5.8 billion pledges will shortly be fulfilled for reconstruction and relief operations,” she said in an interview with the BBC. “We can only express hope and pursue the international community and donor agencies for an early delivery of assistance.”

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