NEW DELHI – Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi Sohail Mahmood whileaddressing the Pakistan Day event has said, “Pakistan desired peaceful andgood-neighbourly relations with India on the basis of sovereign equalityand mutual respect. It was important to resolve all outstanding issues,including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, peacefully through dialogue.”
He also said that peace was in the mutual interest of both countries and itcould only be achieved through diplomacy and dialogue.
Pakistan wants to sort out “as soon as possible” the issue of allegedharassment of diplomats, its high commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood saidon Friday, asserting that his country desired “peaceful andgood-neighbourly” relations with India.
Mahmood, who came back to India on Thursday night — a week after he wascalled to Islamabad for consultations amid the raging row between India andPakistan over harassment of diplomats, said such issues affect therelations between the two countries.
“I discussed this issue (alleged harassment of Pakistani diplomats inIndia) with our government. We want to sort out this issue as soon aspossible because it affects the relations between the countries,” thePakistani envoy said on the sidelines of an event organised to mark‘Pakistan National Day’.
Mahmood was called back to Islamabad for consultations after allegedincidents of harassment of its diplomatic staff in New Delhi, with thePakistan Foreign Office spokesperson claiming the Indian government failedto take notice of the increasing incidents of intimidation of Pakistanidiplomats, their families and staff by its intelligence agencies.
India and Pakistan have accused each other of harassing diplomats inIslamabad and New Delhi.