Islamabad: Pakistan's influential Jamat Ulema Islami (JUI-F) party has said that the government's insistence on setting conditions for restoring air links with India was responsible for the breakdown of the peace process and demanded that ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) be kept out of foreign policy matters.

"The Pakistan government's insistence on setting conditions to restore air links has disturbed the confidence building atmosphere between the two countries," Secretary General of JUI (Fazlur) Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan was quoted as saying by local daily 'Ausaf'.

Khan also blamed the intelligence agencies, especially the ISI, for the breakdown of the peace process and called for diplomats and foreign policy experts to take charge to give proper direction to the Indo- Pak relations.

Observing that people of India and Pakistan want to live in peace, he said the intelligence agencies were creating obstacles. "The reason is our ISI has been given unlimited powers. In comparison, India's RAW is not such powerful."

"India's political leadership is strong and capable of resolving issues on its own. While in Pakistan the political leadership is not getting such opportunities. Our policy experts don't formulate our foreign policy because they are not powerful. The solution is instead of keeping everything under ISI's control, let concerned policy making institutions do their job," he said.

Khan said the JUI (F) delegation's visit to India in July helped remove the impression that the religious leaders were responsible for all evils.

He also said that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's observation that Iraq issue should be a lesson for India and Pakistan to sort our their issues bilaterally before any third country gets involved was a "realistic" statement.

Rather than repeatedly bowing to US pressure, Pakistan must think about reconciliation with India, Khan said.

"Pakistan government's policies have completely isolated Pakistan and in prevailing circumstances it should seriously think about mending differences with neighbouring countries. Pakistan should settle issues with neighbouring countries under give and take policy," he said.

PTI