Pakistan's hardline religious party, Jamaat-i-Islami, has said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's proposal for a treaty of peace, friendship and security between India and Pakistan was aimed at sidetracking the Kashmir issue and asked Pakistan government not to fall into the 'trap.'
Such proposals have been made by India a number of times in the past with a view to sidetrack Kashmir issue, which was the 'real bone of contention between India and Pakistan,' Vice President of the JI, Senator Khurshid Ahmad said in a statement in Islamabad on Tuesday in reaction to Dr Singh's remarks made at the FICCI meeting in New Delhi.
Besides proposing a treaty, Dr Singh said he dreamt of a day when people of the region can have breakfast in Amritsar, lunch in Lahore and dinner in Kabul.
In his statement Ahmad said: 'Lunch and dinner are neither substitute for settling real issues nor resolving the conflict.'
He said that Pakistan leadership must take a bold and clear stand on issues and must not fall into the Indian trap.
'It is only through justice to the people and protection of their right and resolving the conflicts on the basis of equality; peace and security can be achieved. Peace treaties are not the issue, the issue is Kashmir and resolving all disputes on the basis of justice,' he said.
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