'Open minded' Pak hopes for 'constructive Indian attitude' at Thimphu meet

Islamabad, Feb 5(ANI): Pakistan has said it is going to Thimphu- where it will have Foreign Secretary-level parleys with India- with 'an open mind', and expressed the hope that New Delhi will also come with a 'constructive attitude', so that the stalled dialogue process can be resumed.

The Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan are expected to meet on the sidelines of the SAARC Council of Ministers meeting in Bhutan during February 6-7 to discuss ways to revive the peace process that has been stalled since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

"Pakistan is going to Thimphu with an open mind." The Nation quoted Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit, as saying.

"We hope India also will come to the meeting with a constructive attitude so that a comprehensive, sustained and result-oriented dialogue process can be resumed," he added.

The parleys are expected to pave the way for Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's visit to India in March.

India had suspended the composite dialogue process in the wake of the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people in November 2008.

Pakistan has been pressing India for the unconditional resumption of the composite dialogue to resolve all outstanding matters, including the Kashmir dispute, which Islamabad describes as the 'core issue'.

Basit said that Pakistan has "always striven for normal and good neighbourly relations with India."

"To this end, it is necessary that all the outstanding issues between the two countries, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, are resolved through dialogue," he added. (ANI)