Indo-Pak talks must be meaningful, address core issues: Gilani

Karachi, Feb.27 (ANI): Pakistan has always been willing to hold talks with India, but dialogue must be meaningful and address the core issues lingering between both countries, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said.

Interacting with media persons after inaugurating a power plant, Gilani re-iterated that resumption of composite dialogue was very important, adding that talks were the only solution to end the crisis.

"There should be composite dialogue... talks are the only answer... wars are not the solution. Therefore, we want to have talks with India, but these should be meaningful and core issues should be addressed," The Daily Times quoted Gilani, as saying.

Earlier, talking to media person upon his arrival from New Delhi Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir said dialogue is the only way forward to reduce tension between India and Pakistan, and that both countries have agreed to continue deliberations.

Bashir said during the foreign secretary-level talks on February 25, Pakistan had presented a 'roadmap' to India for the resumption of composite dialogue between both nations.

"We have a common principled stand that dialogue is the only way to move ahead for peace," he said.

Bashir said he met his Indian counterpart Nirupama Rao and India's National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon to discuss ways to initiate the dialogue process.

"Pakistan made it clear to India that dialogue for the sake of dialogue would be useless," he added. (ANI)