Pakistan eager to work with new Indian government, says envoy

Pakistan is closely watching the unfolding parliamentary elections in India and is eager to work with whichever government come to power, its High Commissioner Abdul Basit said here Wednesday.

"We are keen to resume the engagement process between he two countries, as comprehensive and meaningful as possible," he said.

"Whoever becomes the next prime minister of India, whichever government comes to power, we are all for having a meaningful engagement," Basit declared, interacting with media persons informally during his three-day visit to the country's commercial capital here.

He pointed out that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is committed to the "Region First Vision", which is not only timely, but also long-lasting.

"Peace through a peaceful process is very important. We (India-Pakistan) have had wars in the past, but it did not help much," Basit said, adding that the dialogue must be "comprehensive, uninterruptable and uninterrupted".

"Let us not re-invent the wheel every time we meet. We share a history. Why hype around disagreements... We need to deal in a peaceful manner," he urged.

Basit said that India and Pakistan have been talking now for decades, but now they need to "walk the talk". He however conceded that neither side had "a magic wand to fix everything overnight".