NEW YORK: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh are to meet in New York this evening.
The two leaders will discuss ways to normalize bilateral ties‚ resume composite dialogue on all outstanding issues‚ including Kashmir‚ and regional security.
Observers believe the meeting will lead to reducing the tensions between the two countries.
Talking to media‚ the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said it would be his first meeting with Dr. Singh in New York on Sunday and he was looking forward to talking to him.
He said he will renew his invitation to him to visit Pakistan and then we will pick up the threads from where we left in 1999.
Nawaz Sharif said Pakistan and India should allocate budget for their defence needs but to a reasonable extent. The two sides need to spend money on their social sectors and address the poverty and other social issues.
Sharif said arms race should be stopped and it is upto the leadership of both the countries to take this initiative.
About the incident in Jammu‚ the Prime Minister said it was a sad incident and Pakistan had condemned it in strong words.
He said that Pakistan had proposed to India to investigate the issue jointly at military and foreign office levels‚ or the matter could be referred to the United Nations for an independent inquiry.
The Prime Minister‚ however‚ maintained that the two sides must proceed rather than blaming each other. Steps should be taken to put an end to such kind of practices.
