Tuesday, July 25 2006 10:40 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Pakistan yesterday (July 24, 2006) said that the peace process with India is in the interest of the two countries and they have no other option but to pursue it.

"The peace process is in the interest of both the countries and the region. We do not have any other option. This is the only option, we have to talk to each other and to pursue the peace process," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said at a media briefing here.

She was replying to questions about chances of a meeting between the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan on the sidelines of the SAARC Standing Committee meeting in Dhaka, scheduled to be held on July 31. The Foreign Secretary-level talks were postponed in the wake of the Mumbai serial blasts.

"No meeting has been scheduled the Foreign Secretaries are there, they will naturally be interacting because the Standing Committee meeting would be proceeded by meeting of Foreign Ministers. So they would be there. I do not know if Indian Foreign Secretary is coming. Our Foreign Secretary will be there," she said.

On reports in the Pakistani media speculating that New Delhi could consider chances of 'hot pursuit' into the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, she said, "Nobody should make (this) mistake. Pakistan will not allow hot pursuit into its territory or Azad (Jammu and) Kashmir (PoK)."

She also termed the media reports as 'extremely irresponsible'.