President Zardari: Pakistan would like ‘better relations’ with India
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh shakes hands with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari during a meeting in New Delhi on April 8, 2012. President Asif Ali Zardari became the first Pakistani head of state since 2005 to visit South Asian neighbor India, for a one-day trip aimed at building goodwill between the nuclear-armed rivals.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday, and said Pakistan "would like to have better relations," with India, according to the Associated Press.
Even though Zardari's visit to India was billed as private, it was diplomatically significant as the first visit by a Pakistani head of state to India in seven years, according to Reuters.
During the 40-minute meeting, Zardari and Singh discussed the disputed territory of Kashmir, combating terrorism and facilitating trade between the two countries, said officials, according to The Washington Post.
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It had been three years since Singh and Zardari's last meeting, and Singh said, "Relations between India and Pakistan should become normal. That's our common desire," according to the AP.
Singh added, "We have a number of issues and we are willing to find tactical, pragmatic solutions to all those issues and that's the message that president Zardari and I would wish to convey," according to Reuters.
Zardari said, "We would like to have better relations with India. We have spoken on all topics that we could have spoken about and we are hoping to meet on Pakistani soil very soon."
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Reuters noted that relations between the two regional rivals have warmed since Pakistan promised India "most favored nation" trade status last year, although the United States recent announcement of a $10 million reward for the capture of a Pakistani militant has stirred old tensions again.
According to Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, Singh told Zardari that "it was imperative to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice and prevent activities aimed against India from Pakistani soil," said the AP.
The two countries have fought three wars since partition in 1947, two of them over the disputed territory of Kashmir.
According to the Guardian, after the meeting, Zardari was accompanied by his son on a pilgrimage to a Muslim shrive in the city of Ajmer, south-east of New Delhi.
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