Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday said that it was time for New Delhi and Islamabad to “bury the past and move forward”.
Addressing the Islamabad Security Dialogue, Gen Bajwa added that stable Indo-Pak relations were the key to unlocking the potential of South and Central Asia by ensuring connectivity between East and West Asia.
“The Kashmir issue is obviously at the heart of disputes. It is important to understand that without the resolution of Kashmir dispute through peaceful means, [the] process of sub-continental rapprochement will always remain susceptible to derailment due to politically motivated bellicosity,” Gen Bajwa said. He added, “Our neighbour will have to create a conducive environment, particularly in occupied Kashmir.”
The General’s comments came a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, while inaugurating the summit, had said that Pakistan was trying to bring in peace, but India would have to take the first step to normalize ties. Khan had said that having a direct route to the Central Asian region will economically benefit India. Central Asia is rich in oil and gas.
Drawing references from the Cold War, Gen Bajwa said frayed relations between various powers centres will ultimately lead to another Cold War and that it is these unsettled issues in South Asia that are dragging the entire region back into poverty and underdevelopment. “It is sad to know that even today it (South Asia) is amongst the least integrated regions of the world in terms of trade, infrastructure, water and energy cooperation,” he added.
Though, both PM Imran Khan and Gen Bajwa didn’t specify the minimum steps that India should take but many experts in Pakistan believe that some positive measures in Kashmir could ease pressure on the Pakistan government before entering into talks or restoring the normal diplomatic ties.
Gen Bajwa also talked about poverty which he said was linked with the regional tension that had hindered the regional connectivity and integration. “Despite being impoverished, we end up spending a lot of our money on defence, which naturally comes at the expense of human development,” he said. However, he added that Pakistan was resisting the temptation to become part of the arms race or increase defence budget despite rising security challenges.
Ties between India and Pakistan nose-dived after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by terror groups based in the neighbouring country. This was followed by terrorist attack on an Army camp in Uri, and then the dastardly Pulwama attack on 26 February 2019, in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. India retaliated Pulwama with an audacious air strike on the Balakot terror camp deep inside Pakistan.