PAKISTAN PM SEEKS TO EASE INDIA TENSIONS

Islamabad, 3 Shawwal 1434/9 August 2013 (MINA) – Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif tried on Thursday to ease tensions with India by urging both sides to work swiftly to shore up a 10-year ceasefire threatened by recent attacks.

He made the remarks shortly after the Indian government for the first time directly accused Pakistan’s army of involvement in an ambush that killed five Indian soldiers on Monday in Kashmir.

India’s Defense Minister A.K. Antony said specialist Pakistani troops had been involved in the attack and hinted at stronger military action, Saudi Gazette quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

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But Sharif, who was elected in May and who backs rapprochement with India, said he was looking forward to meeting his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.

In remarks made at the Pakistani foreign ministry and released by his office, Sharif expressed his sadness over the loss of life and said it was “imperative” for India and Pakistan to take “effective steps to ensure and restore” the truce.

He said existing military channels could be more “optimally utilized” to prevent the situation from escalating further.

Amid uproar in India over New Delhi’s handling of the attack, Sharif said leaders on both sides needed to engage “constructively with a view to building trust and confidence.”

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Week ago, Sharif has said that New Delhi and Islamabad should sit down for serious talks on lingering issues for the benefit of their respective countrymen.

“We (Pakistan and India) have been piling up weapons for the past 60 years,” Sharif said.

“Instead of spending so much on arms, we should focus on investing in social infrastructure for the benefit of our people,” he said. (T/P09/E1).

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).