Islamabad: On the eve of Indo-Pak Commerce Secretary-level talks, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today backed “constructive engagement” with India, saying Pakistan wants to forge bilateral relations based on “mutual interest and mutual respect”.
Gilani also stressed on establishing “mutually beneficial trade relations” with India. His comments came a day before Commerce Secretaries of the two countries were to meet here for two days.
“Constructive engagement with India is essential so that both the countries could move towards the goal of establishing good neighbourly relations,” Gilani said during a meeting with Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and Commerce Secretary Zafar Mahmood.
“Pakistan wants to move towards comprehensive and broad-ranging engagements with India on the basis of equality, mutual trust, mutual interest and mutual respect,” an official release from the Premier’s Office quoted him as saying.