Responding positively to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's fresh offer of friendship, Pakistan said on Tuesday that it was ready to nominate a senior official to discuss the agenda for an 'unconditional and meaningful' dialogue.
"If India is indeed serious, the Government of Pakistan is ready to nominate a senior official to discuss the agenda," a foreign office statement said.
Welcoming the 'positive elements' of Vajpayee's speech in Srinagar, the statement said Islamabad believes in goodwill and honest intentions. "All issues can be resolved peacefully through a dialogue between India and Pakistan," it said.
The statement, however, accused Vajpayee of undermining his offer with 'hackneyed allegations' of cross-border terrorism and said the best way to verify them would be to appoint neutral observers.
Claiming that Islamabad has taken several steps to prevent the use of its territory for activities harming other countries, the statement said, "Pakistan remains fully committed and determined to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations".
PTI