Pakistan wary of US President Obama's India visit?

Islamabad: Pakistan on Friday stepped up pressure on the US not to grant any concessions during President Barack Obama's visit to India, saying any move that affects the strategic balance in South Asia would be counter-productive and not in the region's interest.

The Pakistan government also made it clear that it was against Obama expressing any endorsement for India's move to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council as such a move would have "negative effects on issues relating to peace and security in South Asia".

It conveyed its position on these issues during a special briefing given to the Special Committee for Kashmir of the National Assembly or lower house of parliament.

The meeting, which was chaired by the committee's chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman, was attended by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Malik Amad Khan and Special Secretary Muhammad Haroon Shaukat.

A statement issued by the Foreign Office said the parliamentary panel was briefed about Obama's visit to India beginning Saturday.

Though the government reiterated its view that any two sovereign states are entitled to develop their bilateral relations "in a manner and along lines that they deem fit", it also made it clear that "anything that militates against the regional balance in South Asia is counter-productive and not in the interest of the region and the world".

The parliamentary committee was informed that Pakistan had, during its interaction with the US, "emphasised the importance that we attach to regional stability and security".

Responding to a question from the committee about India's prospects of acquiring a permanent seat in the UN Security Council and possible US endorsement of such a position, the government said such a move would have "negative effects on issues relating to peace and security in South Asia".

Referring to the debate in the UN General Assembly about Security Council reforms, the government informed the panel that any US endorsement of the Indian bid for a permanent seat "would have serious implications on the direction and merits of this question that has been under consideration" in the General Assembly.

The government said Pakistan believed the reform and expansion of the UN Security Council requires consensus and that the spirit and principles of the UN Charter should not be compromised.

"Endorsing the candidacy of any one or more states for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council will be at variance with the spirit of the Charter and infringe the principles of sovereign equality. Creating a new class of privileged members, with or without veto, is not an option," the Foreign Office statement said.

The issue of the Security Council's expansion "cannot be divorced from the broader questions relating to the restructuring of the global system" and Pakistan opposes expansion in the permanent category, the statement added.

The parliamentary committee told the Foreign Office that no dialogue should be held with India without including the Kashmir issue.

The Foreign Office told the panel that the composite dialogue has been on hold since the 2008 Mumbai attacks and thus no meetings could be held for the resolution of outstanding problems with India.

The committee called on India to withdraw security forces and "black laws" from Jammu and Kashmir and lift curfew in the state.

The panel said the Kashmir issue is a "matter of life and death for Pakistan" and cannot be ignored at any cost.