PM wants talks, but not his party: Qureshi

In an apparent bid to drive a wedge between Indian government and the ruling party, Pak Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that "well-meaning" Manmohan Singh was keen to normalise ties with it but "elements in Congress" did not support him.

In an apparent bid to drive a wedge between Indian government and the ruling party, Pakistan has said that “well-meaning” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was keen to normalise ties with it but “elements in Congress” did not support him.

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Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi criticised India for refusing to have “meaningful” talks till Pakistan acts against terrorism, saying the contention had been “dragged too long” and “nobody is buying that anymore”.

He insisted that Pakistan has moved “considerably” against perpetrators of Mumbai attacks and the reply to India’s dossiers recently was “not to gain time” but to get additional information. Dialogue “is the only sensible thing to do. Two prime ministers of this region, two important countries of this region, have to sit and work out (bilateral issues),” said Qureshi. He said Pakistan was always ready for dialogue but “it seems India is not yet ready, perhaps because of domestic political considerations”. Elaborating, he said, “I am convinced that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wants to move forward”.