Pakistan-India dialogue increases SAARC significance: Gilani

LAHORE: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said importance and effectiveness of SAARC forum had increased, following the onging process of dialogue between Pakistan and India.

He was talking to the media before departing to the Maldives on three-day visit to attend 17th SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) conference at Old Airport here Wednesday.

The Prime Minister said the SAARC had earlier been losing its effectiveness and could not move forward due to tense ralations between the two major countries of the South Asia.

The SAARC forum's value and importance has now increased manifold since Islamabad and New Delhi started discussing their mutual disputes on the dialogue table, he added.

To a question, he said, "Naturally, Pakistan and India have a dialogue procedure under which everything is going in the right direction."

The PPP-led elected democratic government has been giving significance to the SAAR forum, he said, citing, "I have never missed any SAAR Conference, since I became the Prime Minister."

Gilani said the commencement of 17th SAARC Conference showed that there was the determination and will among the member states to work together for the betterment of the region.

On a question, he said, "We will definitely focus on the Conference's theme 'Building the Bridges' by discussing all possible ways and means for mutual cooperation through rail, road and sea route."

The Prime Minister said said on the sidelines of the Conference, he would meet the Presidents of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and the Prime Ministers of India, Bhutan and Nepal, and the SAARC Secretary General.

It may be mentioned that a 12-member delegation including Federal Communications Minister Arbab Alamgir, Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Babar Khan Ghori, and Interior Minister Rehman Malik also accompanied the Prime Minister.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2010