Gilani blames India for lack of progress in bilateral talks

“I have had some productive exchanges with my Indian counterpart. I am disappointed that the promise of those meetings has not yet been realised. Full resumption of the dialogue process has yet to happen,” Gilani said in an interaction with members of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Pakistan.

“The only way forward for India and Pakistan is dialogue,” Gilani said.
Lasting peace and security in South Asia “can only be achieved with a sincere effort to resolve long-standing disputes” and this requires leadership, vision and courage, he added.
Asked what had gone wrong in several recent meetings and talks between India and Pakistan, Gilani said he believed no breakthrough could be made because of domestic pressures faced by Singh.

Domestic pressure

“I think the he could not stand the pressure within Parliament and India,” he said. On a proposal made by President Asif Ali Zardari that Pakistan would not resort to a “first use” option for its nuclear arsenal, Gilani said the country had made it clear to the world community that it does “not want to fight with India” or its other neighbours.

“We are a nuclear power and yet we are saying we do not want to fight with our neighbours. The objective is that we want peace and better relations,” he said, adding that his government will never compromise on national interests while resolving outstanding issues.