By NNN-APP
New Delhi : Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said strong, stable and prosperous Pakistan would be helpful to India.
Hoping that the people of Pakistan would be able to overcome the current crisis, “we wish them all success in their endeavours”, he said responding to questions at a luncheon meeting with editors of Indian news agency PTI on Friday.
When questioned on reports in the western media over the dangers of Pakistani nuclear weapons falling into “jehadi hands”, Mukherjee said “everybody will have concerns if they (nuclear weapons) fall into wrong hands or if non-state actors have access to them. But, perhaps now President Musharraf is in command of the situation and I think he is also the civilian head of the command of the nuclear system.”
Mukherjee said Pakistan had gone through many difficult situations in the past, but, at the same time, it had shown there was “strength and resilience in the system to overcome them”.
When asked the developments in Pakistan could lead to increased violence in occupied Kashmir, he said “problems” in the state were there and were not new. “Sometimes infiltrations and terrorist activities are accelerated and decelerated. Perhaps, terrorism cannot be switched on and switched off. In many of the countries it has taken a long time to settle the issue.”
India was engaged in a Composite Dialogue with Pakistan and it was pinning hopes on the assurances in the Joint Statement of Jan 6, 2004 that Pakistan’s territory would not be allowed to be used by terrorists, he said.
When asked about India’s experience in dealing with President Pervez Musharraf, Mukherjee said he had declared a ceasefire in November 2003 and “till now it is holding and the border is peaceful.”
President Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have had several rounds of discussions and institutional arrangements were in place including the joint anti-terror mechanism. “Though it (the mechanism) has not proved fruitful as yet, let us hope the situation will improve further”.
When questioned as to whom India would deal with in Pakistan, he said, “let us not surmise about individuals and what is going to happen in the future. We have to deal with the leadership of Pakistan as and when they have been established”.
Meanwhile, India resumed service of Thar express to Pakistan on Friday following confirmation by Pakistan Railways in this regard.
A statement of Ministry of External Affairs issued here said the Jodhpur-Munabao-Jodhpur Link Express and Munabao-Zero Point-Munabao Thar Express would be functioning from Friday as scheduled.
Earlier, the Indian government had decided to extend visas of Pakistani nationals who were stranded at Jodhpur station due to suspension of train service to Pakistan. More than four hundred Pakistanis were affected by the suspension of trains.
Pakistan High Commission here had taken up the matter with the Indian authorities to provide facilities to stranded Pakistanis.
Now, all train services including bus service to Pakistan have resumed.