Ex-spy chiefs urge India, Pakistan to hold talks, play cricket

london — Asserting that war was no more an option, two former spy chiefs of Pakistan and India have stressed on the urgent need for diplomatic talks and communications between Islamabad and New Delhi.

Former Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Director-General, Gen. (Retd) Ehsanul Haq, and former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Amarjit Singh Dulat made this assertion during a public debate at the London School of Economics.

During the talk organised by South Asia Centre, LSE’s Pakistan Development Society and the South Asia Future Forum, both agreed that war was no more an option.

Both spoke at length answering questions of the audience and sharing jokes with each other.

“Interaction must be such that even when there is a breakdown in diplomatic relations between states and entities, the intelligence channel must continue because that becomes the last resort for venting and pre-empting crisis, the initiative for this has to come from the political level down,” General (Retd) Haq said while responding to a question.

He stressed that the Indian government had done no favour to the region by ending the communication channels.

Dulat on his part said that intelligence sharing between the two sides at one point may have “saved Pervez Musharraf’s life which in a way was acknowledged”.

Haq said the potential of the whole South Asian region is stunted because of differences between India and Pakistan and mainly because of the issue of Kashmir.

Dulat said that India has borne the brunt of terrorism and “Pakistan is also suffering because of terrorism”.

Responding to a poser, both agreed that Pakistan and India should play cricket. —

Interaction must be such that even when there is a breakdown in diplomatic relations between states and entities, the intelligence channel must continue

Ehsanul Haq, former ISI chief