Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Wednesday warned India against any move aimed at unilaterally altering the status of Kashmir and also reiterated the country's commitment to a meaningful, sustained and result-oriented dialogue with India to resolve all outstanding issues.
Speaking at the concluding session of "Ideas Conclave 2015" conference, organised by the Jinnah Institute, Aziz said the unprovoked and indiscriminate firing and shelling from across the Line of Control and the Working Boundary, with Indian leadership threatening disproportionate use of force, portend India's dangerous desire to create a space for war.
"This behaviour also reveals a clear dichotomy in India's insistence on eliminating terrorism on the one hand and creating distractions for our armed forces engaged in a relentless and non-discriminatory counter-terrorism operation 'Zarb-e-Azb' on the other hand," he said, adding the international community recognises that Pakistan's counterterrorism efforts must be strengthened, and not impeded. "But India has other ideas," he added.
He said that India's decision to abandon the path of dialogue with Pakistan and adoption of a hostile posture, bilaterally and regionally, has created a new level of uncertainty, adding the cancellation of Foreign Secretary-level talks by India on the pretext of our High Commissioner's meeting with Kashmiri leaders was found unconvincing world-wide.
"Any efforts by India towards unilaterally altering the status of Kashmir would further compound the already complicated situation," he warned, adding Pakistan shall not abandon its political, diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmir cause at any cost.
Referring to the Indian arms race, he said the New Delhi's massive defence spending is accentuating the conventional asymmetry and seriously impacting regional stability. From the outset, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had emphasised to the new Indian leadership that the main dynamic in South Asia should be co-operation, not confrontation, he said.
Consistent with this perspective, he added, Pakistan remains committed to building co-operative and good-neighbourly relations with India, but on the basis of mutual respect and sovereign equality. "We continue to follow a policy of restraint and responsibility, but determined at the same time to resolutely defend our national interests," Aziz said, adding "We will not get drawn into any arms race, but will ensure maintenance of a credible deterrent capability".
He added the prospect of enhanced economic co-operation has been a victim of the prevailing tensions. An agreed roadmap exists, and awaits an environment conducive for its implementation, he added. However, he stated that Pakistan remains committed to a sustained, unconditional and result-oriented dialogue. "Since it cancelled the dialogue, the onus would be on India to take the initiative," he added.
Sartaj Aziz further pointed out that the rise of potent non-state armed groups in the Middle East, including the Islamic State (IS), poses a considerable challenge to regional security. He noted that Afghanistan is at a critical juncture, and it is imperative that all countries work together to sustain the democratic and security gains as ISAF forces withdraw from the region.
He outlined the pillars of an Afghanistan policy, which are based on bilateral political engagement, intensified security and counter-terrorism co-operation, deeper trade and economic partnership, enhanced regional co-operation, non-use of territories against each other and supporting an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led reconciliation process.
Former Ambassador to the US and Jinnah Institute President Sherry Rehman emphasised that Pakistan had undergone transformative shifts in its security policy and moved away from the notion of strategic depth, backed by multiparty political consensus to make peace with its neighbours. "Kabul is the most important capital for Pakistan," she noted. At the same time the former ambassador also noted that strategic empathy was needed from New Delhi as Pakistan fought a difficult war at home. She questioned why it took humanitarian crises to bring India and Pakistan together, pointing at the looming threat of climate change that was not being addressed.
Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Janan Mosazai agreed that Afghanistan had weathered a decade of profound transformation, and that the new national unity government in Kabul was symptomatic of the new political consensus and consolidation of democratic will. However, issues of connectivity, trade and transit, the return of Afghan refugees and poverty were pressure points that will continue to merit attention in both Islamabad and Kabul, he added.
Referring to the fight against the terror, he said that it is our common fight and we all must play our role to achieve the success in this war. About the Afghan government actions against the outlawed TTP hideouts in Afghanistan, the envoy said that Afghanistan is taking massive action against the Taliban without making any distinction of 'good and bad Taliban'. Former editor-in-chief of The Hindu Siddharth Varadarajan, meanwhile, observed that turbulence in the Indo-Pak track continues to be a source of concern for both Islamabad and New Delhi. He explained that the government of Prime Minister Modi is still finding its feet, and grappling with the realities of statecraft.
Former Foreign Secretary Najmuddin Shaikh stated that peace in Afghanistan is imperative for the restoration of peace and stability in Pakistan and the region. He further pointed out Pakistan's relations with Iran will improve if the government succeeds in its crackdown on the menace of sectarianism.
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