NEW DELHI, Dec 8:
India wants a conducive atmosphere to be created to tackle “more complex and difficult issues” with Pakistan, President Pranab Mukherjee has told a visiting Pakistani Parliamentary delegation.
“India desires friendly and cooperative relations with Pakistan,” Mukherjee said when a delegation led by Chairman of Pakistan’s Senate Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari called on him at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday.
“An appropriate conducive atmosphere needs to be created to tackle the more complex, difficult issues,” he emphasised while welcoming efforts to achieve full normalisation of bilateral trade.
The President also lauded Pakistan’s decision for a transition to a ‘negative’ list for imports from India.
Advocating firm action to tackle terrorism before it becomes “unmanageable”, the President said that it has emerged as the biggest threat to peace and tranquility.
“Terrorism is biggest threat to peace and tranquillity. Terrorism respects no boundaries and causes wanton destruction. No one in the world is safe from terrorism. Action should be taken before it becomes unmanageable,” the President was quoted by his Press Secretary Venu Rajamony as conveying to the Pakistani delegation.
On his part, Bokhari said Pakistan was also facing terrorism and that their former Prime Minister Benezir Bhutto fell victim to a terrorist attack. “Terrorism cannot be solved by one country alone. The whole world has to fight against terrorism,” he said.
Welcoming the delegation, the President expressed happiness over greater interaction between the Parliaments of the two countries and said India wants more people-to-people contacts between the two countries “as it is a powerful way to build and strengthen the constituency of peace in both countries.”
The delegation had yesterday also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who told them that India would like to see a “strong, stable and prosperous” Pakistan and that he was happy to see democracy flourish over there.
The President said elected representatives in both countries have an important role to play in efforts to build good neighbourly ties.
Bokhari also welcomed the revival of dialogue and said bilateral trade would benefit both sides, the President’s spokesman said. (PTI)
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