Pak seeks 'full resumption' of dialogue with India

Pakistan sought an "early and full resumption" of the dialogue process with India, saying it wants constructive, sustained and result-oriented talks on all issues, including the Kashmir problem.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan is committed to finding a "just and peaceful resolution of the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiri people," according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office. He said "Pakistan has sought early and full resumption of the dialogue process with India" and "wants a constructive, sustained and result-oriented dialogue with India on all issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute."

At the same time, Qureshi said Pakistan will "continue to stand by the Kashmiris in their just cause."

"Gross and systematic abuse of human

rights ... in Kashmir must end. Pakistan calls upon the government of India to exercise restraint," Qureshi said. He said Pakistan has taken "serious note of the deteriorating situation" in Jammu and Kashmir.

"The indigenous movement in (Jammu and Kashmir) has gained a new momentum and urgency. The Kashmiris are unanimous in their demand for self-determination," he said. Qureshi said Pakistan condemns the alleged "blatant" use of force by Indian security forces against the protesters.

Friday's statement by Qureshi was the strongest reaction from the Foreign Office to the recent developments in Jammu and Kashmir. It comes at a time when leaders of opposition parties like the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and politicians from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have stepped up pressure on the government to take up the situation in Jammu and Kashmir with the international community.