Islamabad: Pakistan today said that is ready to work with India to prevent an arms race in Asian region as it stressed that the two countries need to devote their resources for their people's uplift.
"Pakistan remains ready to discuss arms control and restraint measures with India. Our proposal for Strategic Restraint Regime (SRR) can provide a basis for mutually agreed restraint measures and avoidance of an unnecessary arms race in the region," Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said.
He was responding to a query relating to US President Barack Obama's comments at the Nuclear Security Summit last week, in which he asked Pakistan and India to work towards reducing their nuclear arsenal and develop military doctrines so that they do not ‘continually move in the wrong direction’.
‘Trade with India on track despite strained ties’
Meanwhile, a Pakistani government official said that trade with India was on track despite strains in diplomatic relationship and that Islamabad intends to hold a single-country exhibition in New Delhi.
Talking to the media on the first day of Texpo Pakistan exhibition, Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir said that suspension of dialogue with India did not suggest an end to bilateral trade.
The minister, while lamenting the negative impact of a recent bomb blast in Lahore on the exhibition, found presence of 400 foreign delegates encouraging.
Khurram said the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) has changed its focus from holding general exhibitions to single segment of products.
Similarly, there was a shift in commercial strategy as more importance was being given to regional countries, including Central Asian states, Afghanistan, Iran and Sri Lanka.
With Agency Inputs
