Pak seeks fresh start to peace talks with Modi
As India awaits the Narendra Modi- led BJP government to take charge, Pakistan on Monday hoped for an early resumption of peace dialogue between the two countries and that the two sides would work to resolve their “differences and disputes”.
Pakistan high commissioner in India Abdul Basit, who was speaking to members of the Press Club of India here on Monday, said that as neighbours, the two countries have no option but to talk to each other and normalise relations.
Seeking to strike a note that looks to the future, Mr Basit said the two democracies “have to decide whether we will bury the hatchet or will continue to be at daggers drawn indefinitely”. He added, “The two countries and its people cannot afford to move in the wrong direction and be on the wrong side of history.”
Pakistan also believes that the next four to five months will be crucial as they will determine “how things move forward”.
Seeking to engage with a Narendra Modi- led government, the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif- led government is also hopeful that Mr Modi is able to make an early visit to Pakistan, hav- ing already extended an invitation to him.
The composite dialogue process between the two countries has been in deep freeze and bilateral ties strained since January 2013. Emphasising the need for peace, the Pakistan envoy said it can “only be advanced through a dialogue process” and that “we have seen pre- conditions did not work, nor can they work in the future”.
Advocating the creation of a “new bilateral narrative devoid of acrimony and hostility”, the envoy said this would be possible only if the two sides “talk to each other comprehensively, meaningfully and on the basis of reciprocity”.
Regarding Kashmir, Mr Basit said it was an important issue and the Indian government has to fulfil its commitment given to the world. Noting that it’s part of the composite dialogue, he said “We should not shy away from contentious issues.”
The envoy himself will be in Islamabad later this week to participate in a meeting called by Mr Sharif with envoys posted in important world capitals.