PAK: INDIA SPINS HATRED AND PERPETUATES RIVALRY

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua has accused India of spinning hatred and perpetuating dynamic rivalry at a time when Islamabad is continuing with its efforts for peace in the neighbourhood.

Speaking at a conference organised on Tuesday by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), Janjua said: “We are convinced that we will continue to try for peace and stability in the region.”

Referring to India’s approach to bilateral relations, she said New Delhi was “spinning hatred” and perpetuating “dynamic rivalry”. This, she added, was unhelpful for improving relations and was stopping South Asia from making progress and achieving peace.

Janjua said that India, by refusing to attend the Saarc Summit in Islamabad, was holding the regional body’s process hostage.

She contended that India tried to drown in controversy Pakistan’s gesture of agreeing to opening a corridor to the Kartarpur Gurdwara, to facilitate visits by Sikh pilgrims to one of their holiest sites, due to domestic politics. She said Pakistan had “ignored the Indian negativity and decided to stay the course”.

Speaking about the new government’s policy on India, Janjua referred to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s first address after his election victory, in which he had offered to take two steps for every step taken by India for normalising ties. She said Khan, in his letter to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, had also expressed his willingness to discuss all issues that were part of the erstwhile composite dialogue.