ISLAMABAD —
Pakistan’s defense minister says good relations are possible with rivalIndia, using the example of the recent historic meeting between the leadersof North and South Korea. But, says Defense Minister Khurram Dastgir, thatwill require mutual political courage to “transcend the past.”
In an exclusive interview with VOA, Dastgir said persistent diplomatic andmilitary tensions, particularly over Kashmir, have increased the likelihoodthe disputed Himalayan region could become a “flashpoint” between thenuclear-armed South Asian nations.
Indian and Pakistani military forces have been locked in almost weeklyexchanges of fire along the Line of Control, the defacto Kashmir border.Both sides blame each other for initiating the deadly clashes. India andPakistan claim Kashmir in its entirety. The region has triggered two of thethree wars the countries have fought since they both gained independencefrom Britain in 1947.
Dastgir told VOA that despite the continued mistrust and hostility inbilateral relations, former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif undertooka historic visit to New Delhi in 2014 to attend the inauguration ceremonyof Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“It is that kind of courage that is required for us to transcend the past.Courage will also be required to see that peace has greater dividends forour future generations than hostilities,” the minister said when askedwhether the inter-Korean summit could encourage the South Asian nations totalk peace.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in metlast month at the heavily fortified demilitarized zone between theircountries in the first summit between both nations in more than a decade.The two leaders pledged at the meeting to work together to eliminate therisk of war and achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Dastgir said that the Indian government, since the historic Sharif visit,has constantly demonstrated “aggressive posturing” toward Pakistan, addingthe policy is deeply disturbing and detrimental to regional stability.
The minister said that over the years a “political consensus” has emergedamong all stakeholders in Pakistan to forge a peaceful political andeconomic relationship with India. He added that no Pakistani politicalparty in the previous two elections, in 2008 and 2013, went to voters on ananti-India platform. But New Delhi has lost the “unique and very valuablemoment” in Pakistani history to promote mutual peace.
“This unique, peaceful moment, this political consensus in Pakistan that inthe 21st century we should move forward with India by finding peace withour eastern neighbor, that moment is merely decimated and I think a greatopportunity has been lost since 2014 of bringing our two countriestogether.”
Instead, Dastgir said, Indian political and military leaders have sincebecome increasingly aggressive in their statements and actions. New Delhi,he said, has also enhanced its military presence along the internationalborder with Pakistan to be able to quickly mobilize troops to imposeanother conflict on the country.
“India has created a string of bases along the Pakistani border in whichnow they have all the material and men, including their air force, in whichthey could if, God forbid, a situation arises, mobilize extremely quickly.This is a reality,” said Dastgir.
India, he emphasized, needs to review its policy and “to cease and desiston this point” and come to discuss resolution of issues dividing the twocountries.