ISLAMABAD,
October 23 (IslamOnline.net) - Pakistani officials tended to play down
the importance of the media-hyped offer announced by India Wednesday,
October 12, to normalize relations with neighboring Pakistan.
Speaking
to reporters after a cabinet meeting in New Delhi, Indian Foreign
Minister Yashwant Sinha announced a 12-point offer for normalization of
relations with arch rival Pakistan.
But,
the top Indian diplomat ruled out the possibility of a dialogue with
Islamabad, Pakistani authorities believe the offer is likely to lead the
two nations nowhere.
Indian
and international media hailed the offer as a "melting point"
in relations between two countries, frozen since August of 2001.
But
Pakistani officials argue that the 12 points were mostly controversial
and needed discussion at a highest level.
"Most
of the steps announced by Delhi are already pending in the suspended
secretary level talks broke down in 1999," Foreign Ministry
spokesman Masood Khan told Islamonline.net Thursday, October 23.
He
asserted that if India were to hold a composite dialogue with Pakistan,
most of these issues could have come up for discussions.
While
Islamabad officially announced it welcomes any "genuine" move
aimed at easing tensions between the nuclear-capable countries, New
Delhi should reconsider its opposition to resumption of composite
dialogue at the official level, Khan said.
Other
senior officials of the Foreign ministry see some of the 12 points
simply favoring Indian positions.
The
Indian proposals included a ferry service from India's commercial hub
Bombay to Pakistan's port city Karachi and a bus service between the
Indian and Pakistani-controlled areas in divided Kashmir.
India
also offered to operate another bus from its desert state of Rajasthan
to a town in Pakistan's Sindh province and establish "visa
camps" to facilitate travel between the two nations.
Opening
of these two new venues as road links has already been vehemently
opposed by Pakistan.
Similarly,
Pakistan is not very keen on giving India over flights rights without a
formal agreement, which India is hesitant to sign.
Similarly,
Pakistan is not very keen on giving India over flights rights without a
formal agreement, which India is hesitant to sign.
Pakistan
has proposed to approve India’s over flights rights request only if
New Delhi makes a formal commitment that no one country would be able to
snap this right in future, as India unilaterally did in January 2002.
