India at this point in time wanted to engage Pakistan in foreign office level talks, Basit added. Replying to questions, he said that US and other countries have also been encouraging both the countries to resolve all the outstanding disputes including Kashmir issue through talks.
However, the recently held foreign secretary level talks could not be declared a success or failure, he said. We accepted Indian invitation and held foreign secretary level parleys and effectively presented Pakistan's stance. The recent meeting gave an understanding that India was not ready for resumption of composite dialogue.
Basit said that Prime Minister would be visiting Washington from April 10 to 13 to attend Nuclear Security Summit and would also represent the country in the upcoming EU Summit. He said the two-day conference in Washington would discuss issues related to nuclear weapons security.
About Indian Prime Minister's recent visit to Saudi Arabia, he said Pakistan enjoys close cordial and brotherly relationships with the Kingdom, but this does not mean that India could not have diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia. He also gave an example of China, a tested friend of Pakistan, playing very positive role in the region in terms of controlling tension.
Basit deplored that India acknowledged Pakistan's role in war against terror. While referring to recent incident of Kandhar, he said that India should not point finger at Pakistan regarding each and every happening, as four Pakistanis were also killed in the incident. Serbian foreign minister will also visit Pakistan, he added.