Islamabad, May 9: Pakistan does not want another war with India over Kashmir, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar has said while describing the current status of bilateral relations as the "best" the two countries ever had.

"We are having a very nice relationship with India, the best of the relationship we have ever had. The confidence-building measures are working very well and I think the defence of Pakistan today is much safer than five years (ago)," Mukhtar, senior leader of the Pakistan People's Party that heads the ruling coalition and one of Pakistan's leading industrialists, said.

Ruling out the possibility of a war on the Kashmir issue, the Pakistani minister said the two countries had shown flexibility in their traditional stand on the issue.

"I am sure that both the countries are showing flexibility from their traditional positions. We don't want to fight a war," Mukhtar told Dawn News channel in an interview.

He said the issue will be resolved only through the opening up of the borders.

"Today is the time for economic wars and we must prepare ourselves. There are other problems in Pakistan and India - there are food shortages, the oil problem, the electricity problem and these problems can't be solved if we are at war with each other."

Pakistan, he said, was "trying to help India" in the economic field. "We are saying that we would like to buy gas from Iran and that pipeline will go to India, which is a big market. They will benefit and we will also benefit," he said.