Pakistan’s Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Thursday that it was time for India and Pakistan to “bury the past and move forward”, a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan made similar overtures towards New Delhi following an unexpected ceasefire announcement by the militaries of the two countries weeks ago.
Addressing a session of the first-ever Islamabad Security Dialogue here, Gen Bajwa also said that the potential for regional peace and development always remained hostage to the disputes and issues between Pakistan and India – the two “nuclear-armed neighbours”.
“We feel it is time to bury the past and move forward,” he said, adding that the responsibility for a meaningful dialogue rested with India.
Gen Bajwa also said that peace between Pakistan and India would help to “unlock the potential of South and Central Asia” by ensuring connectivity between East and West Asia.
“Our neighbour will have to create a conducive environment, particularly” in Kashmir, Gen Bajwa said in his address, adding that any effort to improve ties without addressing the core issue would be vulnerable to external political factors.
“The Kashmir issue is at the heart of this. It is important to understand that without the resolution of the Kashmir dispute through peaceful means, the process will always remain susceptible to derailment to politically motivated bellicosity,” he said.
Though, both Prime Minister 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.
Addressing the same event later, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said durable peace, security and development in South Asia hinge on peaceful resolution of the long-standing Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
“In essence, the onus is on India to create an enabling environment,” he said.
Qureshi said that the ‘Naya Pakistan’ under the leadership of Prime Minister Khan was focusing on building economic ties with other nations by forging connectivity and creating peace in the region.
He said instead of being involved in geo-political competition and rivalries, Pakistan is advocating co-existence and win-win cooperation.
In his address, 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. “This has not been easy, especially when you live in a hostile and unstable neighbourhood. But having said that, let me say that we are ready to improve our environment by resolving all our outstanding issues with our neighbours through dialogue in a dignified and peaceful manner,” he said.