Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on Saturday praised his Indian counterpart for demonstrating political sagacity in a recent meeting and they agreed that dialogue was the only way forward, Xinhua reported.
Addressing a news conference here on return from Egypt, where he met with Manmohan Singh in the resort city of Sharm el Sheikh Thursday on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit, Gilani said the Indian prime minister expressed his readiness to discuss all outstanding issues.
Gilani said the Indian prime minister has realized the need for holding talks, which are the only way out for the two countries.
"About 1.5 billion people of South Asia should not be left hostage to any issue and the two countries should talk to each other," Gilani said.
He said during discussions with the Indian prime minister they focused on real issues and both sides realized that there was need to tackle issues like poverty, disease, hunger and ignorance.
Gilani said he informed Singh that Pakistan was moving against terrorism out of conviction as it was in its own interest to do so. Pakistan itself is victim of terrorism and there is need for both Pakistan and India to join hands in addressing the challenge.
He said the Indian leader also reiterated his interest in a stable, democratic and Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Responding to a question the prime minister said the issue of Indian interference in southwestern Balochistan province and other areas of Pakistan also figured during talks and this is also reflected in the joint statement issued thereafter. He said he mentioned about the information and evidence that Pakistan has in this connection.
He said the Indian prime minister expressed apprehension about any future Mumbai-like incident in his country and he told Singh to share actionable information, if any, with Pakistani agencies and Pakistan will extend every possible cooperation.
On the Kashmir issue, Gilani said Singh told him that he was not scared of discussing any issue. He said the two countries are aware of the fact that dialogue is the only way forward but there is trust deficit.
About Mumbai incident, the prime minister said Pakistan has sent a dossier to India and asked for further information. He said the Indian prime minister agreed to send further information. He said the moment Pakistan gets further information, it will certainly bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice.