Stable Indo-Pak relations key to unlocking South Asia's potential: COAS Bajwa

On Thursday, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa stated that stable relations between India and Pakistan are the key to unlocking the potential of South Asia, ensuring regional connectivity and cooperation.

Addressing the Islamabad Security Dialogue, Gen. Bajwa noted that the region's potential has been hindered by the disputes between the two "nuclear neighbours".

Gen. Bajwa mentioned that "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 added that "We feel it is time to bury the past and move forward", reiterating that the onus for meaningful dialogue rested with India, and that "Our neighbour will have to create a conducive environment, particularly in Occupied Kashmir".

The COAS stated that unresolved issues in South Asia are dragging the entire region back into poverty and underdevelopment.

"It is sad to know that even today it [South Asia] is amongst the least integrated regions of the world in terms of trade, infrastructure, water and energy cooperation.

"On top of it, despite being impoverished, we end up spending a lot of our money on defence, which naturally comes at the expense of human development."

He also noted that "despite rising security challenges, Pakistan has been one of the few [countries] that has resisted the temptation of involving itself in an arms race", citing a decrease in the country's defence expenditure.

"The world has seen the ravages of the world wars and the Cold War, wherein polarisation and neglect of virtues blighted the future and brought catastrophic consequences for humanity," he said.

"Today the leading drivers of change in the world are demography, economy and technology. However, one issue that remains central to this concept is economic security and cooperation. Frayed relations between various powers centres of the globe and boomeranging of competing alliances can bring nothing but another stint of Cold War."