Gilani hopeful of moving ahead through dialogue with India

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Pakistan is hopeful of moving forward through dialogue with India as responsible nations believe in resolving their outstanding issues through talks, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Sunday.

"I personally have very good relations with the Indian leadership. Responsible nations believe in talks and dialogue and I hope we will move forward through the talks," he said while interacting with a small group of journalists.

Pakistan's ties with India were hit by the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks but were now improving, he said. "The relations between the two countries remained suspended for a while after the Mumbai attacks but when I met with (India's) leadership in Thimphu, they started improving," he said.

India's Foreign and Interior Ministers had visited Pakistan and ‘we are also engaged with India for talks on the Siachen issue,’ he said, referring to the next round of talks on the military standoff on the Himalayan glacier to be held in New Delhi from Monday.

Asked about Pakistan's soil being used for terrorist attacks on other countries, Gilani said: "We have ensured that our soil is not used for terror attacks in any country. Both the military and political leadership are on the same page on this issue".

He added: "Let me make it clear that we will not allow anyone to use our territory for terror attacks in other countries. We have lost 36,000 people in the war on terror and I want the elimination of terrorists from my soil to make my country peaceful."

Gilani, however, parried a question on possibility of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar being present in Pakistan.

Commenting on recent terrorist attacks in northwest Pakistan and on a naval airbase in Karachi, Gilani said these acts were a ‘continuation of the reaction against Osama bin Laden's killing.’

"A terrorist is a terrorist and he cannot be exonerated of his crimes by labelling him as a good or bad Taliban," he said.

The government will assert itself if anyone challenged its writ though military operations are not a permanent solution, he said.

Responding to another question, he said the fate of slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's widows and children will be decided in accordance with the law.