PR. No. 346 Press release SHAH MAHMOOD QURESHI MEETING WITH HIS UK COUNTERPART Islamabad, September 25, 2010.  The Foreign Minister held a meeting with the Foreign Secretary of United Kingdom Mr. William Hague on the sidelines of the 65th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York today. He thanked the Foreign Secretary for the assistance provided by the British Government and public for the flood victims of Pakistan. He underlined that this support was an indication that the bilateral relationship between the two countries went beyond the government level and needed to be built upon. The Foreign Minister also appreciated the leading role played by UK in facilitating discussions within EU for provision of trade concessions, says a press release received here today. On the flood situation in Pakistan, the Foreign Minister informed his British counterpart that the government was now moving into the early recovery phase in which priority was being given to agriculture and in particular the upcoming wheat crop. Simultaneously, the government had initiated the process for damage needs assessment which was expected to be completed before the upcoming meeting of the Friends of the Democratic Pakistan in Brussels. The government had also created the National Oversight Disaster Management Council consisting of respectable persons to address the issue of transparency. The British Foreign Secretary assured the Foreign Minister of UK’s continued support in meeting the challenges posed by the recent floods. In this regard, UK would lobby with other countries for providing flood assistance and trade concessions to Pakistan. He said that he would attend the October meeting of FODP in Brussels. PR. No. 347 Press release SHAHBAZ CALLS ON ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY ARCHBISHOP ASSURES SUPPORT TO FLOOD VICTIMS AND INTERFAITH HARMONY Islamabad, September 25, 2010.   The Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti called on the Archbishop of Canterbury  Dr. Rowan Williams at  Lambeth  Palace, on yesterday. Minister apprised the Archbishop of the  flood situation in Pakistan and the Interfaith  Dialogue   Initiative of  Government  of Pakistan, says a press release received from London. The Archbishop of  Canterbury   assured  support   for  flood affectees of Pakistan  particularly in the context of   health and  education  while  describing  his  meeting  with  Minister  very  fruitful.  Mr. Bhatti  conveyed  messages of  goodwill  from the  President  Asif Ali Zardari and prime Minister Yusuf   Raza Gilani to the  Archbishop  and extended him   invitation to visit Pakistan.  The  Archbishop  reckoned his  previous  visit of  Pakistan  saying that  he cherished the  visit  where he had  opportunity to meet  with Christian  religious  leaders. The Minister briefed  the  archbishop in detail about the devastation caused by the floods and the efforts being made by the government of Pakistan to deal with the  crises . He stressed need for  international solidarity to deal with this  mega challenge.  He expressed deep appreciation  for the  support extended  by the Arch bishop and  other  Christian organizations  in  helping  people of  Pakistan  in this  hour of  need. They discussed interfaith harmony  and  dialogue  in Pakistan as well as  at global level.  Dwelling upon  Interfaith Initiative  of  Government of Pakistan , the Minister informed that  at district  level interfaith  committees were  being  set up comprising of  Muslim and non- Muslim members to create  interfaith  harmony at the  grass roots  level. He  further  informed that in  addition to that training  programmes  for  creating  awareness and  material  based on  common  teachings  of  various  religions  were also being   developed  to  harness  religious tolerance .  Besides this exchange  programmes for  promoting  interfaith  harmony  will also be  undertaken by the  Ministry of Minorities Affairs.  The Archbishop of Canterbury assured full support to strengthening this program. The Minister  added that  the laws with  potential of being  misused against minorities were  being  reviewed to  check  human rights abuse of  any kind, as the  present  government  believes  in  protection of  rights of all the segments of society. Discussing  the  interfaith dialogue in global perspective  the Minister  appreciated the Interfaith Dialogue  Initiative of the Archbishop of Canterbury , specially    programme of  presence , engagement  and  dialogue of Anglican Church with Jamiatul   Al- Azhar, emphasizing  that  interfaith  harmony was  an instrument  to bring  peace , harmony and  tolerance. **SK/Ahmad**  PR. No. 348 Press release Lib Dem Leaders call for resolution of Kashmir Dispute High Time  for solution  of Kashmir Issue : Hughes Unprecedented floods in Pakistan signify water Issue between Pakistan and India : Rowen Islamabad, September 25, 2010.  “Great Britain had moral obligation to resolve Kashmir issue, which it carried as part of the historical baggage from its colonial past of the Sub-Continent and was thus an un-finished business and  it was high time that we should look for solution to the festering issue of Kashmir” stated  Simon Hughes Deputy Leader of Liberal Democrats Party at a conference  for Lib Dem ‘Friends of Kashmir’ organized by Pakistan High Commission on the sidelines of the Annual Party Conference at Liverpool this week. A number of Lib Dem Party MPs, Office Bearers and Party Workers attended the discussion moderated by Lib Dem’s Executive Committee Member and Parliamentary Candidate Qasim Afzal moderated the discussion, says a press release received here today from London. Hughes said that as coalition partner in the Government, he undertook to start a dialogue using the Party Ministers. He identified other forums such as World Parliamentary Network, EU and Commonwealth that could be used for resolution of Kashmir problem. Hughes also expressed sympathy and concern on the plight of the flood affected people in Pakistan . Former  Lib Dem MP Paul Rowen said that he had just visited the Indian Occupied Kashmir and, therefore, could stress that unless Kashmiris were included in any peace talks there could be no lasting solution to the dispute. Hinting at the Indian aspiration to become a member of the UN Security Council, he said that it should first resolve all its disputes including Kashmir and water issues with its neighbour Pakistan . Unprecedented floods in Pakistan had signified the issue of water, which should now be seen as a potential threat that could trigger a major war between the two nuclear neighbours. HE added that UK could not condone violence as silence was inexcusable. Minister Political of Pakistan High Commission Mr. Nafees Zakaria while expressing Pakistan ’s concerns over growing human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir and deaths of innocent Kashmiris, noted the world community’s muted reaction to the Indian atrocities. Given the trust deficit between India and Pakistan , he doubted that any bilateral dialogue could be meaningful and sustainable. The fragility of bilateral peace process was exposed in the wake of Mumbai incident. India played to the tunes of those against peace in the region and withdrew from the Composite Dialogue process, which had  come a long way in building confidence through people to people contacts. He reminded that in this backdrop the international community, particularly the UK and US, shared the responsibility to get involved for an oversight to ensure that the two countries follow a conflict resolution oriented dialogue process. Pakistan had always welcomed the third party mediation but it was India which was averse to any such mediation, Zakaria said. He added that Pakistan wanted Kashmiris to be part of the peace talks and supported a solution according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people. He stressed that the Composite Dialogue should be resumed from where it broke-off rather than from the scratch. **SSR/Ahmad** PR. No. 349 Press release  Islamabad, September 25, 2010.     Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has taken serious notice of the public statements of Minister for Defence Production, Abdul Qayyum Jatoi.  He immediately summoned the Minister and asked him to explain his statement.  Action will be taken after hearing the Minister.