Pakistan, India must return to the negotiating table: Abdul Basit

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit Tuesday said it is time for India and Pakistan to return to the negotiating table without further ado and preconditions.

Upon the end of his tenure as High Commissioner in India, he expressed his views in an article he wrote for Times of India in which he elaborated the complex nature of Pak-India relationship during recent past.

He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attended Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi's inauguration along with other SAARC leaders that reflected our sincere desire to make a new beginning.

"Two PMs in their maiden meeting agreed to resume bilateral dialogue as soon as possible but later the press conference by the then Indian foreign secretary, issuing a charge sheet against Pakistan, when PM Sharif was still in town, was unhelpful to say the least, also India's decision to cancel its foreign secretary's scheduled visit to Islamabad in August 2014 in reaction to my interaction with the Hurriyat leadership, quite baffling", he added.

He said it is incumbent to maintain peace and tranquility along the LoC and settlement of disputes such as Siachen and Sir Creek is very important to build a permanent peace between the two countries.

Abdul Basit said many in India are not yet convinced that Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is the root-cause of our troubled relationship but they dub terrorism as the major issue. "To them my submission is that the wars our two countries have fought during the last 70 years, all predated the Samjhauta Express blast (2007), the Mumbai attacks (2008) and Pathankot (2016)", he added.

He said that Pakistan is not oblivious to menace of terrorism and operations such as "Zarb-i-Azb" and "Raddul Fasaad" are the examples of Pakistan's determination to take the counter-terrorism drive to its logical conclusion.

Abdul Basit said it is imperative to find an amicable solution to the Jammu & Kashmir dispute that is also acceptable to Kashmiris, Pakistan cannot put the J&K dispute on the back burner.

"Effective diplomacy is not about glossing over or shelving seemingly intractable issues but to address them conclusively and satisfactorily", he added.

Implying to India's concern about Pathankot attack, he said it is in our mutual interest to determine beyond a shadow of doubt and bring the culprits to book but convicting the perpetrators of the Samjhauta Express blast in which 42 Pakistanis lost their lives, is equally important.

He said existing CBMs/agreements should also be adhered to in letter and spirit.

He said that Pakistan is not interested in a Sisyphean arms race but will maintain the credibility of its full spectrum deterrence under all circumstances. "Maintaining regional strategic stability should be one of our top most priorities", he added.

He thanked the people of India for their warmth and affection during his tenure.