Pre-condition for Indo-Pak talks a step backward: Pakistan

Pakistan today made it clear that it would not accept any pre-condition for resumption of the stalled peace process with India.

Pakistan on Friday made it clear that it would not accept any pre-condition for resumption of the stalled peace process with India.

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Islamabad made its stand clear while reacting to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assertion that for the resumption of dialogue, Pakistan must meet the "minimum pre-condition" of ensuring that its soil will not be used for terror activities against India.

"We should move forward and not backwards. By putting conditions, we would be going backward," Pakistan Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar told PTI.

Asked about the pre-condition set by Singh, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said, "When we have a dialogue we cannot have pre-conditions."

Babar insisted that Pakistan had "fully cooperated and is still cooperating" with India in investigating the Mumbai attacks to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Addressing a press conference at the end of the G-20 Summit last evening, Singh said, "India is willing to discuss bilaterally all outstanding issues, including Kashmir. It (Pakistan) has to convince us that it is absolutely sincere in bringing to book the culprits of the attack on Mumbai."