Indo-Asian News Service
Islamabad, July 30 (IANS) Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has lauded the “statesmanship” of his Indian counterpart, terming Manmohan Singh’s statement in parliament on subcontinental ties a “bold vision of peace and prosperity”.”I commend Dr. Manmohan Singh for his bold vision of peace and prosperity in South Asia and the statesmanship that he has demonstrated,” TV channels Thursday quoted Gilani as saying.

“The Indian prime minister has rightly emphasised the importance of an honourable settlement of the outstanding issues between India and Pakistan,” Gilani maintained.

“At Sharm-el-Sheikh, we had useful talks and a good meeting of minds. We had agreed that terrorism was a common threat. We also agreed that dialogue is the only way forward,” he added.

In saying so, however, Gilani seemed a little over-optimistic because Manmohan Singh, while speaking in the Lok Sabha Wednesday clearly said that there was no alternative but to continue the engagement with Pakistan. But this, as also the resumption of the composite dialogue process, couldn’t move forward if terrorist attacks continued to be launched from this country.

“It is…in our vital interest to make sincere efforts to live in peace with Pakistan. But despite the best of intentions, we cannot move forward if terrorist attacks launched from Pakistani soil continue to kill and injure our citizens, here and abroad,” Manmohan Singh said while replying to the debate on India-Pakistan issues and his government’s recent foreign policy initiatives.