In an interview here, Shah Mahmood Qureshi emphasised the need for inclusion of Kashmiris in negotiations to resolve the Kashmir issue.
He said the dialogue between the two countries should be held on equal basis and it should be seen that a nuclear powered Pakistan was in negotiations with India. He said the problem can be resolved if there were sincere efforts from both sides and once the Kashmir issue is resolved, other problems would get settled down automatically.
In reply to a question, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the United States did not wish Pakistan to become a nuclear power and several hurdles were created for this purpose. He said attempts are being made on several fronts to weaken Pakistan internally and there are hidden hands behind it.
The former foreign minister said during his meeting with Dr Manmohan Singh, the Indian Prime Minister had agreed for a proper mechanism to resolve the Kashmir issue. He said he was happy that the Indian Intelligence Agencies have advised their government to bring an end to atrocities in Kashmir to bring a change on the ground.
He rejected the impression that there was progress between the two countries on Kashmir through track two dialogue.
