ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit has called for “serious and sustained diplomacy”, “result-oriented engagement” with India to pave the way to establish durable peace and prosperity that would help eliminate poverty from the two countries.
In an interview with India’s daily Indian Express, High Commissioner Abdul Basit said Pakistan does not see dialogue as a favour by one country to another.
“Dialogue is in our mutual interest. If India is ready, Pakistan will be willing, if India is not ready then we can always wait for India to make up its mind”, he said.
The High Commissioner said both the countries need to work for peace and prosperity, and recalled the Indian PM very rightly said in his address in Kerala, we need to fight against poverty. If we were to fight against poverty, I think we need to work together.
In a detailed interview with the Indian Express, High Commissioner Basit spoke in length about the surgical strike, the derailed dialogue process, the postponement of SAARC Summit and future of Pakistan India relations.
Following is the text of interview:
SURGICAL STRIKES
Q: Why is Pakistan denying India’s surgical strikes?
A: Jammu and Kashmir continues to be the core dispute between the two countries and we strongly believe that these can only be resolved through serious and sustained diplomacy. From UN resolutions to our joint statement, which our two countries have issued in Islamabad on December 10 last year.
Jammu and Kashmir remains the core issue, and both countries recognise that this dispute needs to be resolved, and I think you may also appreciate that both our countries have fought three wars because of this dispute, in 1948, 1965, 1971 and the Kargil conflict, and all these wars, conflicts preceded the Samjhauta Express blast, the Mumbai attack, and so on and so forth. So, from our viewpoint both countries must bring diplomacy to centrestage.
Now, coming to your question, I think three things have happened.
You ask me as to why Pakistan is denying. Firstly, this is for the first time that India has publicly acknowledged to have breached the 2003 ceasefire understanding, so this is quite significant.
Secondly, what I see is the commonly acceptable definition of surgical strike has been modulated unilaterally by India. which also means cross-LoC firing. Why I am saying this. The official statement issued by India, your (Indian) DGMO, very clearly suggests that the action took place along the Line of Control, not across.
Now, as far as Pakistan is concerned, we haven’t seen any activity on September 29, other than usual cross-LoC firing and you know what our stance is, we have also taken both Pakistani and foreign journalists to the locations. There is no sign of any activity in those areas, other than the cross-LoC firing in which two Pakistani soldiers have been martyred.
Denying the strikes, experts say, is a smart move by Pakistan so that the situation is not allowed to escalate.
I don’t think so, because I can assure you that, God forbid, if any action takes place, that will be retaliated immediately. We are confident that our deterrence is working. It is important to avoid drawing wrong conclusions and raising false expectations, because it is not in our mutual interest to push ourselves to the precipice.
