By NNN-APP,
Islamabad : Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the 15th SAARC summit in Colombo had helped reduce tension with Afghanistan.
“The visit has helped in (reducing) tension and dispelling many apprehensions and misunderstandings with Afghanistan,” he told reporters after his return from Colombo.
The Prime Minister said that in his meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai he was assured that Afghanistan was ready to remove differences with Pakistan.
Karzai said “if you take one step forward we will take one thousand steps,” Gilani added.
That is why, Gilani said, after his meeting with Afghan leader the two countries issued a joint statement.
He said he held a formal meeting with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh and clearly discussed various apprehensions with him.
“I said that Pakistan wants to resolve all the bilateral issues including that of Kashmir and he told us that they too have the same intentions and desire,” Prime Minister Gilani said.
Manmohan Singh, told him that sometimes such incidents occur which create tension and mentioned the bombing of Indian embassy in Kabul.
“I told him that I will talk to Hamid Karzai when I meet him.” He said it is the policy of the Pakistan Peoples Party and was also of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto to maintain cordial relations with the neighbours.
He said the SAARC conference had greatly helped in achieving that objective.
Referring to his meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, the Prime Minister said he met him by chance as both of them were staying at the same hotel.
“When I visited the United States last month I met there President George Bush besides all other relevant officials .”
The Prime Minister said proposals from Pakistan at the SAARC meeting on food, energy, environment and terrorism were highly appreciated and placed in the SAARC Declaration.
Replying to a question if PML (N) would remain a coalition partner, the Prime Minister said “they will not go away.”
“ Since they are in coalition both at the centre and the provinces, they will not go away.”
Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari will meet shortly “and you will see the outcome,” the prime minister said and added that the coalition partners frequently hold meetings.