‘Want better ties with India’: Imran says govt, army united
Khan says Kashmir key dispute, determined leadership can resolve it
KARTARPUR : Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership are united in desiring better relations with India although Kashmir remains the key issue between the two sides, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday, cautioning that war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours was simply not an option .
Addressing a gathering that included Indian Union ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri and Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu after the groundbreaking ceremony for the Pakistani section of the Kartarpur corridor, Khan said “determined leadership” is needed in both countries to settle the Kashmir issue.
In India, meanwhile, an official spokesperson took exception to what he described was as an attempt by Khan to politicise “a pious occasion” with his mention of Kashmir. Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat said the Kartarpur corridor should be seen in isolation.
Khan also said it would be “madness” for the two nucleararmed countries to think of war and that India and Pakistan should emulate the example of France and Germany, which came together in a union after wars and bloodshed.
The Pakistani premier made the pitch for peace and better relations with India in the presence of Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. Sidhu, to whom Bajwa first spoke about the Kartarpur corridor in August, and Badal also addressed the gathering.
“Today in Pakistan, the prime minister, my party, all other political parties, the army and all institutions are on the same page. We want to move forward, we want a civilised relationship with India,” Khan said in Urdu.
“We have one issue, and that is Kashmir. You tell me, humans have reached the moon. Which issue can’t be solved by humans?... We only need determined leadership on both sides of the border,” he said.