NEW YORK - Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, now on a public diplomacy tour of the United States, has questioned India's large-scale presence in Afghanistan, saying the Indian level of engagement there must be commensurate with their interests. "They (the Indians) have to justify their interest. They do not share a border with Afghanistan, whereas we do. So the level of engagement has to be commensurate with that," he said in an extensive interview with The Los Angeles Times, when asked about India's building up its commercial and political presence in Afghanistan. "If there is no massive (Indian) reconstruction (in Afghanistan), if there are not long queues in Delhi waiting for visas to travel to Kabul, why do you have such a large presence in Afghanistan? At times it concerns us," he added. Pakistan efforts to focus on the big Indian presence in Afghanistan is beginning to get some attention here acceptance as some top American experts told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday that Islamabad's concerns are real and must taken be taken more seriously by Washington. Pakistan suspects an Indian hand behind unrest in Balochistan and earlier this year Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani raised the issue with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi in Sharm el Sheikh, which were reflected in a joint statement issued by the two South Asian neighbours. In the interview with the Times, Qureshi saw a "realisation on both sides that dialogue is the only way forward." "Any other option would be mutually destructive-suicidal," he said about prospects of resumption of dialogue process, stalled since late last year's attacks in Mumbai, blamed on a Pakistan-based militant group. "Now, the Mumbai attack was a hiccup. But what I have tried to convey to the Indians is: who has benefited from Mumbai? I bid you, not us. The real beneficiary is that element that does not want normalization," Qureshi said. "By disengaging from each other, we are falling into the trap of that very element that wants us disengaged. The only way we can defeat their designs is to have a continuous engagement and resume that dialogue."That will have a positive impact in South Asia. If you want Pakistan focused more on the (threat from extremists along the Afghan border) west, then we have to feel more secure on the east. There is a linkage there,"he added. The foreign minister stated that the South Asian region is hostage to the unresolved Jammu and Kashmir dispute, the peaceful resolution of which through uninterrupted dialogue is the only way forward. Qureshi also urged the United States on building a more trusting partnership with Pakistan, saying Islamabad has nothing to gain by allowing Taliban in Quetta and doing so would not help its case. "We've been hearing about this for years now. Who all are the Quetta shura (governing council]? The names have been passed onto us, we did due diligence, and we have come to the conclusion that some of them have died, and some have left Pakistan," he told the newspaper. "So oK, if you have concern with the Quetta shura, talk about it. We are friends. We are allies. Let's not suspect each other. Let's trust each other," the foreign minister added. The two allies, he said, have developed trust to a great extent over the last year but need to build further on it. "The question is: Why are you doubting us, when we're willing to work with you? Do you think we want a presence of Taliban in Quetta? What do we gain out of that? We are not helping our case by doing that. "We need to build more trust. I think in the last year or so, we have successfully built that trust to a great extent. Today there is more confidence in the American political and military leadership, vis-a-vis the political and military leadership of Pakistan. But we need to get more." Asked about the Pakistani intelligence organisation's anti-Taliban commitment, Qureshi emphasised that the top military and ISI leaders are working in agreement with the political leadership. "Today you have two gentlemen in office (Army Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ISI Chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha) who understand and have a good control of the ISI. And they are in agreement with what the political leadership is doing. So, make up your minds if you want ISI as a foe or a friend. If you want the ISI to be a friend, then stop beating them all the time. Acknowledge the positive that they've done. Obviously there's room for improvement, and we are willing to hear suggestions. But the military leadership of the ISI? You couldn't have asked for better people than what you have now. "You have a great window of opportunity. You have today in the military leadership, the right people. You have the right people at the political leadership. We have converted our public opinion against the Taliban. This is the right time to move forward. We are ready. Are you?" he told the Los Angeles Times. In answer to a another question, the foreign minister said Pakistan is willing to move into Waziristan but the timing be left to the country. "Because we understand the country. We understand the local situation. Let the military leadership of Pakistan decide the pace and the timing. We are one with you on the objectives. You should know what we are doing and why we are doing this." "Resources As simple as that," was his reply when asked about the Pakistani logic. "We cannot stretch ourselves thin. We learnt from your experience. What have you done in the south [of Afghanistan]? The US has moved into those provinces, and cleared [the Taliban] out. And once they left, [the Taliban] came again. Our strategy today is more effective because after clearing out the Swat Valley, we have decided to stay there. We decided to have a continuing military presence until we have enough civilian structures to ensure law and order there. And we already have moved into the tribal belt. We can continue to move on."