By NNN-Bernama,
Melbourne : Rebuilding confidence between India and Pakistan will form a major part of the visit of Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith to Pakistan this week, he says.
Smith, the first Australian foreign minister to visit Pakistan since 1998m will meet President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Chief of Army Staff General Kayani while in Islamabad.
“The first purpose of the visit is to establish a firm working basis for a much more engaged bilateral relationship,” Smith told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio.
He added that other issues which he would discuss with officials there included the fight against extremism and terrorism, the war in Afghanistan, and Pakistan’s response to the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
“I think that Pakistan has done well to date, but there’s a lot more that needs to be done in terms of confidence-building between India and Pakistan,” Smith said.
“We really do need to make sure that the perpetrators of the terrible crime (in Mumbai) are brought to justice and we do need to make sure that there’s a very good official working and diplomatic relationship between India and Pakistan.”