By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistan Tuesday asked India to deactivate its forward air bases and move troops back to the peacetime locations, saying Islamabad was ready to hold a dialogue with New Delhi.
“India should deactivate forward air bases and relocate forces to the peacetime locations,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on state-run Pakistan Television (PTV).
The minister said: “Positive developments have taken place in the last 48 hours and we welcome (Indian External Affairs Minister Parnab) Mukherjee’s denial of a war ultimatum.”
Relations between India and Pakistan deteriorated following the Nov 26 terror strikes in Mumbai that left over 170 people dead, including 26 foreigners.
India has been maintaining that the 10 terrorists who ravaged the financial and entertainment capital of India had come from Pakistan and were members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror outfit based in Muridke, near Lahore.
Qureshi said Pakistan would positively take action against those found involved in terrorism, if evidence was provided against them by the Indian authorities.
New Delhi says it has shared enough evidences with Islamabad about the involvement of the Pakistani terror group in the Mumbai carnage. But Islamabad has denied having received any “concrete” proof.
“We need to learn to live as good neighbours,” said the minister, adding that his country wants to continue the peace process with India and is ready to hold a dialogue with New Delhi on all the outstanding and bilateral issues.
The minister said US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had called President Asif Ali Zardari and talked about her country’s desire for peace in the region.
On Monday Iranian and Chinese officials also met the Pakistani political and military leadership to discuss the situation after the Mumbai attacks.
British High Commissioner to Pakistan Robert Brinkley in a meeting with the president is reported to have conveyed Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s concerns to Zardari.