The relationship between Pakistan and India has recently moved towards a positive trajectory with both sides expressing their desire for peaceful relations. However, there are fundamental issues between the two sides such as Kashmir that remain unresolved. As Pakistan’s foreign policy is moving from geostrategic to geoeconomics, is it wise for Pakistan to form a
The relationship between Pakistan and India has recently moved towards a positive trajectory with both sides expressing their desire for peaceful relations. However, there are fundamental issues between the two sides such as Kashmir that remain unresolved. As Pakistan’s foreign policy is moving from geostrategic to geoeconomics, is it wise for Pakistan to form a strong economic relationship with India? And if Pakistan forms a mutually beneficial economic relationship with India, will it help resolve fundamental issues like Kashmir?
In order to answer these complex questions, the Executive Director of Centre for Law and National Security (CLNS), Rehman Azhar, sat down with Mr. Abdul Basit, the former High Commissioner of Pakistan to India and now a retired Pakistani diplomat, to discuss Pakistan and India’s bilateral relationship and the new surge in calling for peace ties between the two countries.
The former High Commissioner emphasized that this is not the first time that Pakistan and India have had a series of negotiations as there have been many moments in the past when the countries were at odds with one another but also created frameworks in order to further negotiations between them. However, he expressed the belief that the people of Pakistan should accept it in their hearts that the relationship between Pakistan and India can never be normal; that the two nations can never trust one another until the matter of Jammu Kashmir is settled according to the will of the people of Kashmir.
Ambassador Basit said, before Pakistan focuses on its relationship with India, Pakistan needs to test how sincere is India peace initiative. He further said, Pakistan needs to be sure that India is ready to demilitarize Kashmir; that it is ready to release the Hurriyat leadership in the area; that it is ready to remove all the black laws such as ESPA, PSA, TAA. Until Pakistan does not know these things up front, we will end up falling into the same circle of negotiations and the country’s position on Jammu Kashmir will only weaken further.
When he was asked whether any middle ground can be found between the countries concerning Kashmir, the former High Commissioner replied in the negative and said that the two countries have always been negotiating with one another and India has always asked us for time in those negotiations. Even now, what India needs is time so that it can consolidate its position on its illegal annexation of Kashmir and show to the world that it is invested in having peace in the region and is also engaging Pakistan.
He mentioned the recent letter written by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi concerning the meetings and highlighted that the language used in the letter is the same mantra India has always used, that is of terrorism and hostility. This, he exclaimed, tells Pakistan that it should not hope for good from the country. He does not believe that PM Modi, considering his unique heritage, will show any flexibility on the matter of Kashmir to Pakistan.
We have always been talking and negotiating with India and India has always been asking us for time and even now India needs time so that it can consolidate its position in its illegal annexation of Kashmir and tell the world that the country is involved in negotiations with Pakistan, especially after the recent developments that have taken place.
Nevertheless, he does state that in his view the only possibility of reversing the unilateral change made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kashmir is if the Supreme Court of India rules that the constitutional amendments made by the Indian Government are null and void. Yet, this possibility, he said, is rather far-fetched and cannot become reality until the Indian Government approves of sch a change. Yet, the former High Commissioner claimed that he does not believe that the BJP Government will show Pakistan any flexibility on the matter of Kashmir.
Furthermore, when he was asked about Pakistan’s new foreign policy which has shifted from geo-strategic to geo-economic and how that might change Pakistan’s economic woes. The former ambassador opined that Pakistan’s internal economic crisis are not directly connected with lack of trade with India. He further elaborated that there is corruption within Pakistan, lack of good governance, which hinders Pakistan’s economic progress. He also expressed his skepticism of the Indian Government’s commitment in resolving the Kashmir dispute.
When asked about a roadmap of Kashmir with India, Ambassador Basit stated that India needs to prove to Pakistan its commitment by doing that which he previously mentioned – getting rid of black laws, demilitarizing Kashmir, freeing Hurriyat leadership there. As far as he knows, if there is roadmap, it is on Siachen, not Kashmir. This is because Kashmir is “too important a political issue in India’. Whereas, regarding Siachen there has been talk of a green park, with the PM Imran Khan prioritizing climate change and having conversed with both Indian and Pakistani authorities. Ambassador Basit elaborated that there is a possibility of some breakthrough, but this is concerning the roadmap in Siachen.
Moreover, he expressed that the matter of Kashmir requires the making of fundamental decisions and he believes that what Pakistan needs to do as of this moment is to be patient. He reiterated that we should not hurriedly hold negotiations with India because as India at the moment is unstable and we must ensure that we don’t negotiate with India without making Kashmir a central focus of our bilateral dialogue.
Ambassador Basit gave the example of the Four-point Formula which was publicly presented by Musharraf in 2004 which weakened Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir. He also highlighted how in the joint statement released by Pakistan and India in 2015, we made Kashmir a peripheral issue. Ambassador Basit concluded by emphasizing that if Pakistan has to move forward with resuming ties with India, it has to ensure that Kashmir is at the core issue of any bilateral dialogue with India at all times.
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A conversation with Ambassador Abdul Basit about the new tide of peace between Pakistan and India
The relationship between Pakistan and India has recently moved towards a positive trajectory with both sides expressing their desire for peaceful relations. However, there are fundamental issues between the two sides such as Kashmir that remain unresolved. As Pakistan’s foreign policy is moving from geostrategic to geoeconomics, is it wise for Pakistan to form a
The relationship between Pakistan and India has recently moved towards a positive trajectory with both sides expressing their desire for peaceful relations. However, there are fundamental issues between the two sides such as Kashmir that remain unresolved. As Pakistan’s foreign policy is moving from geostrategic to geoeconomics, is it wise for Pakistan to form a strong economic relationship with India? And if Pakistan forms a mutually beneficial economic relationship with India, will it help resolve fundamental issues like Kashmir?
In order to answer these complex questions, the Executive Director of Centre for Law and National Security (CLNS), Rehman Azhar, sat down with Mr. Abdul Basit, the former High Commissioner of Pakistan to India and now a retired Pakistani diplomat, to discuss Pakistan and India’s bilateral relationship and the new surge in calling for peace ties between the two countries.
The former High Commissioner emphasized that this is not the first time that Pakistan and India have had a series of negotiations as there have been many moments in the past when the countries were at odds with one another but also created frameworks in order to further negotiations between them. However, he expressed the belief that the people of Pakistan should accept it in their hearts that the relationship between Pakistan and India can never be normal; that the two nations can never trust one another until the matter of Jammu Kashmir is settled according to the will of the people of Kashmir.
Ambassador Basit said, before Pakistan focuses on its relationship with India, Pakistan needs to test how sincere is India peace initiative. He further said, Pakistan needs to be sure that India is ready to demilitarize Kashmir; that it is ready to release the Hurriyat leadership in the area; that it is ready to remove all the black laws such as ESPA, PSA, TAA. Until Pakistan does not know these things up front, we will end up falling into the same circle of negotiations and the country’s position on Jammu Kashmir will only weaken further.
When he was asked whether any middle ground can be found between the countries concerning Kashmir, the former High Commissioner replied in the negative and said that the two countries have always been negotiating with one another and India has always asked us for time in those negotiations. Even now, what India needs is time so that it can consolidate its position on its illegal annexation of Kashmir and show to the world that it is invested in having peace in the region and is also engaging Pakistan.
He mentioned the recent letter written by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi concerning the meetings and highlighted that the language used in the letter is the same mantra India has always used, that is of terrorism and hostility. This, he exclaimed, tells Pakistan that it should not hope for good from the country. He does not believe that PM Modi, considering his unique heritage, will show any flexibility on the matter of Kashmir to Pakistan.
We have always been talking and negotiating with India and India has always been asking us for time and even now India needs time so that it can consolidate its position in its illegal annexation of Kashmir and tell the world that the country is involved in negotiations with Pakistan, especially after the recent developments that have taken place.
Nevertheless, he does state that in his view the only possibility of reversing the unilateral change made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kashmir is if the Supreme Court of India rules that the constitutional amendments made by the Indian Government are null and void. Yet, this possibility, he said, is rather far-fetched and cannot become reality until the Indian Government approves of sch a change. Yet, the former High Commissioner claimed that he does not believe that the BJP Government will show Pakistan any flexibility on the matter of Kashmir.
Furthermore, when he was asked about Pakistan’s new foreign policy which has shifted from geo-strategic to geo-economic and how that might change Pakistan’s economic woes. The former ambassador opined that Pakistan’s internal economic crisis are not directly connected with lack of trade with India. He further elaborated that there is corruption within Pakistan, lack of good governance, which hinders Pakistan’s economic progress. He also expressed his skepticism of the Indian Government’s commitment in resolving the Kashmir dispute.
When asked about a roadmap of Kashmir with India, Ambassador Basit stated that India needs to prove to Pakistan its commitment by doing that which he previously mentioned – getting rid of black laws, demilitarizing Kashmir, freeing Hurriyat leadership there. As far as he knows, if there is roadmap, it is on Siachen, not Kashmir. This is because Kashmir is “too important a political issue in India’. Whereas, regarding Siachen there has been talk of a green park, with the PM Imran Khan prioritizing climate change and having conversed with both Indian and Pakistani authorities. Ambassador Basit elaborated that there is a possibility of some breakthrough, but this is concerning the roadmap in Siachen.
Moreover, he expressed that the matter of Kashmir requires the making of fundamental decisions and he believes that what Pakistan needs to do as of this moment is to be patient. He reiterated that we should not hurriedly hold negotiations with India because as India at the moment is unstable and we must ensure that we don’t negotiate with India without making Kashmir a central focus of our bilateral dialogue.
Ambassador Basit gave the example of the Four-point Formula which was publicly presented by Musharraf in 2004 which weakened Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir. He also highlighted how in the joint statement released by Pakistan and India in 2015, we made Kashmir a peripheral issue. Ambassador Basit concluded by emphasizing that if Pakistan has to move forward with resuming ties with India, it has to ensure that Kashmir is at the core issue of any bilateral dialogue with India at all times.
Abdul Aziz
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PROFILE