Any US plan on J&K welcome, says gleeful Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Apparently bouyed by US president-elect Barack Obama���s offer to play a role in finding a solution to the Kashmir problem, Pakistan on Thursday said it was ready to consider any constructive proposal from Washington to address the vexed issue with India. ���Sooner this dispute is resolved the better off the region would be,��� foreign office spokesman Muhammad Sadiq told reporters here.

He was replying to a question on Kashmir with reference to Obama���s offer to help resolve the issue during an interview to a US magazine while campaigning for the November 4 Presidential polls.

Mr Sadiq said Pakistan was ready to look into any constructive proposal from the United States to resolve the vexed issue���whether bilaterally, through a multilateral organisation or third party mediation. He said Pakistan looks forward to continued constructive engagement with India to address all outstanding issues and achieve mutually beneficial cooperative relationship.

Replying to a question about Chenab river flow, the foreign office spokesman said Pakistan was pursuing the matter with India at technical, diplomatic and political levels. He said Indian leadership has affirmed its commitment to the implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty and hoped that New Delhi would resolve the issue at the earliest in accordance with the accord and in the spirit of promoting good neighbourly relations.

To another question, he said the prisoners issue between Pakistan and India was a humanitarian matter. Pakistan has sought the release of its nationals from Indian jails while facilitating the release of Indian prisoners in Pakistan.