New Delhi’s attitude unhelpful in improving regional peace: Official

islamabad — Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua has said that Islamabad would continue with its efforts for peace in its neighbourhood despite New Delhi’s negative attitude.

Speaking on Tuesday at a conference on “Conflict and Cooperation in South Asia: Role of Major Powers” hosted by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), Janjua stated: “We are convinced that we will continue to try for peace and stability in the region,” Dawn News channel reported.

Referring to India’s approach on ties with Pakistan, Janjua said New Delhi was “spinning hatred” and perpetuating “dynamic rivalry”.

This, she maintained, was not only unhelpful for improving Pakistan-India ties, but was also stopping South Asia from making progress and attaining peace.

The foreign secretary recalled that India, by refusing to attend the Saarc summit in Islamabad, was holding the regional body’s summit process “hostage”.

She regretted that India tried to drown in controversy Pakistan’s gesture of agreeing to the Kartarpur Corridor due to its domestic politics, but Islamabad ignored the Indian negativity and decided to “stay the course”.

About the new government’s policy on India, Janjua spoke of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s first nationwide address after elections in which he had offered to take two steps for every single step that India would take for normalisation of ties with Pakistan.

“Unfortunately we haven’t seen the kind of reciprocation that was required,” she added. —

Unfortunately we haven’t seen the kind of reciprocation that was required

Tehmina Janjua, Foreign Secretary