PAKISTAN: Pakistan daily hails peace efforts

'Dawn' newspaper commends joint statement issued by India and Pakistan's prime ministers

The Times of India
Saturday, July 18, 2009

New Delhi --- Pakistan's influential English daily, Dawn, has lauded the joint statement issued by New Delhi and Islamabad at the Nam summit in Egypt. In its editorial on Friday, the newspaper said, "credit must go to both sides for seizing the moment and breaking the impasse. Events at Sharm el Sheikh may not have rewritten relations between Pakistan and India but a much-needed breakthrough was achieved nonetheless."

"The joint statement issued after Thursday's Nam meeting between the two prime ministers deviates sharply from the rhetoric of recent months, especially the hard line taken by New Delhi. It was being said that India would try to recast the composite dialogue process, refusing to entertain any issue other than that of terrorism. This single-point agenda now appears to have been abandoned, at least on paper," says the editorial titled, 'A step forward.'

"Instead of describing this development as some kind of victory for Pakistan, we would do well to hail India's timely recognition that terrorism and militancy should not be allowed to come in the way of improved relations. Mr Gilani's point that "Pakistan has some information on threats in Balochistan and other areas" also managed to find its way into the joint declaration. "This too is indicative of India's ostensible receptiveness," the editorial adds.

"The politicians succeeded where the bureaucrats faltered at Sharm el Sheikh. The elected representatives must keep talking," the editorial concludes.

Other English newspapers have not reacted in editorial to the joint statement yet.

Date Posted: 7/18/2009