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| World Home » Current Affairs » | Mon. Oct 13, 2008 |
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Pakistan foreign minister arrives today MIL/TOI/IT, Jun 27, 2008. New Delhi, June 27, 2008 - Pakistani foreign minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Quereshi's three-day visit to India starting on Friday will mark the launch of the fifth round of composite dialogue between the two countries. ( Watch ) Foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon on Thursday said India was hoping that the newly elected Pakistani government, despite the political instability, would respond to the confidence building measures (CBMs) proposed by India on LoC earlier. "We hope they will respond. We will carry forward the composite dialogue which aims to create an atmosphere free of violence or terrorism, resolve all the issues that divide us including J&K," Menon said. He added that Quereshi's visit was too close to his counterpart Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Pakistan to expect any big development. Mukherjee had visited Pakistan last month. The foreign secretary also said that the possibility of more trains passing through the Attari-Wagah link had been discussed and this was likely to get the go-ahead during the meeting. He said the two sides had agreed to allow five trains to pass through the border every day. "We will also push for an increase in the number of people visiting religious places and shrines. I'm not sure about terrorism but this government has been more forthcoming on the economic side and we look forward to more development on the trade front," he added. Menon said a proposal to exploit coal reserves in the Thar desert to generate power was being discussed by the two countries. The proposal was first made by PPP chairman Asif Ali Zardari. On the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, Menon said security was an issue and India was expecting a reply from Pakistan on the matter. Quereshi will arrive in Delhi in the morning and meet Mukherjee in Hyderabad House in the afternoon. He will call on PM Manmohan Singh in the evening. On Saturday, he will meet former PM A B Vajpayee and the leaders of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. He will also visit Ajmer and Chandigarh.
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