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K J M Varma in Islamabad
Pakistan on Tuesday said it was ready to have talks with India any time, anywhere and at any level and extended an invitation to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Reacting to Monday night's remarks by Vajpayee that he need not go New York to meet Musharraf, foreign office spokesman Aziz Mohammad Khan told reporters that Pakistan was interested in resolving the differences with India at an early date.
"We have expressed our desire to resolve all outstanding issues with India, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir, through peaceful negotiations. For this purpose we are ready for a meeting anytime, anywhere and at any level," he said.
An invitation to Prime Minister Vajpayee to visit Pakistan has been extended, he said.
Vajpayee and Musharraf would be in New York early next month to address the United Nations General Assembly.
Defence spokesman General Rashid Qureshi, who was also present at the briefing, said Pakistan was not responsible for increasing tension either on the Line of Control or inside Kashmir.
"It is the Indians who are doing that," he alleged, and said, "we take minimum possible defensive measures to safeguard our own space."
PTI
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