‘Seeking Good Relations With India on Basis of Mutual Respect': Pak Dy PM Dar's Message to New Delhi

Islamab: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar sending a “positive message” to India on Tuesday said his country does not believe in “perpetual hostility” and urged new government in New Delhi to do a “sober reflection” on its future ties with Islamab.

dressing a seminar at Institute of Strategic Studies Islamab (ISSI), 74-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leer said Pakistan always sought “good neighbourly relations”.

“To our east, relationship with India has historically remained troubled. Pakistan does not believe in perpetual hostility. We seek good neighbourly relations with India on basis of mutual respect, sovereign equality, and a just and peaceful resolution of long-standing Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” Dar said.

foreign minister said while Pakistan h always been receptive to constructive engagement through dialogue that includes all outstanding issues, Pakistan would never agree to “unilateral approaches or attempts to impose India’s will or hegemony”.

Pakistan downgred its ties with India after Indian Parliament suspended Article 370 on August 5, 2019, a decision that Islamab believed undermined environment for holding talks between neighbours.

India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan while insisting that onus is on Islamab to create an environment that is free of terror and hostility for such an engagement.

Pakistan will also take every step needed to maintain strategic stability in South Asia and would respond effectively and decisively to any ill-considered military misventure by India, he said.

Dar also urged BJP-led government to have a reflection of ties with Pakistan.

“In our view, as BJP-led NDA government starts a new term, it is time for a sober reflection on future of India-Pakistan relations and cross-cutting issues affecting entire region,” Dar said.

He said, “India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, h versely affected environment of bilateral relations”.

“ onus remains on India to take necessary steps to create an enabling environment for purposeful engagement and result-oriented dialogue on all issues,” he stressed.

“South Asia is home to more than one-fifth of humanity. region is beset by daunting challenges, including poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, disease, food insecurity, water scarcity, natural disasters, environmental degration, and effects of climate change,” he furr said.

“Rar than fight with each or, it would be prudent for South Asian nations to combat se challenges. We are not only least economically integrated region, but also one with lowest rankings on almost all indices of human development,” minister said.

He claimed that South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), only viable platform for regional cooperation and tackling se myri challenges, remains stymied due to “obstinacy of one member state”.

“ political leership in South Asia owes it to its peoples and future generations to act with prudence and turn a new page in regional relations and mutual cooperation,” he maintained.

Dar said Pakistan’s approach was conceptualised in “peaceful neighbourhood” policy.

Pakistan has consistently strived to have peaceful, cooperative and good-neighbourly relations with all countries in our immediate and extended neighbourhoods, Dar claimed.

Despite challenges and even setbacks in certain instances, Pakistan’s approach remains stefast, he said.

“A peaceful, stable, united, and prosperous Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s vital interest. re are no or two countries in world that share so much as Pakistan and Afghanistan do – from history and geography to faith and culture to language and literature to cuisine and music,” according to Dar.

He said since Taliban takeover in August 2021, Pakistan has followed a pragmatic approach – focused on practical cooperation aimed at averting any humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and facilitating wellbeing of 40 million Afghan people.

“Pakistan has also prioritised regional cooperation to ensure that our actions remain in sync with broer international community. Apart from emphasising inclusive governance and respect for rights of all Afghans, Pakistan stresses imperative need to ensure that Afghanistan’s soil is not used for terrorism against any state,” he said.

He said Pakistan earnestly hoped Afghan Interim authorities would see that it is in ir own enlightened self-interest to heed this call and take practical steps needed to dress our serious concerns.

Talking about China, he said Pakistan has its most trusted and reliable friend, China. “Our all-wear strategic cooperative partnership with China is cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy.” “It is also a factor of stability in region and beyond. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a transformational project contributing both to Pakistan’s economic turnaround as well as regional prosperity,” Dar said.

He talked about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent trip to China. “Upon successful completion of 10 years of CPEC, we have jointly agreed to pursue its upgred version in coming years. Essentially, our focus would be on industrialisation, digitalisation, green transition, agriculture, and people-to-people exchanges,” he said.

He also said Pakistan would do everything possible to ensure safety and security of Chinese personnel and projects in Pakistan. 

(Except for heline, this story has not been edited by Republic)