ISLAMABAD: Pakistans Ambassador to the US, Jalil Abbas Jilani informed a US think-tank in Washington on Tuesday, 24 June, that Pakistan and India have revived back-channel talks following a meeting between their prime ministers in New Delhi last month, paving the way for foreign secretaries of the two countries to meet shortly to resume the stalled peace process. He also said Pakistan is keen on improving trade and economic relations with India as it believes this could bring prosperity to the entire region.
Momentum on strengthening mutual ties is gathering on other fronts as well. Opinion makers from India and Pakistan, including parliamentarians, former diplomats, former military officers and policy experts met from June 20-21 during the 14th round of the Chao Phraya Dialogue, which focused on the significance of the new government in New Delhi.
Organised by the Jinnah Institute (JI) and the Australia India Institute (AII) in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the gathering discussed opportunities that the newly elected Indian government creates for Indo-Pak relations, particularly in trade and economic integration with special focus on the ongoing elections in Afghanistan and the prospects for peace and security in the region following the drawdown of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) towards the end of 2014.
Dawn reports that Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani said Pakistan desires an uninterrupted peace process with India that would address the causes of all outstanding disputes and not just symptoms.
The reopening of the back-channel talks, he hoped, would enable the two sides to discuss all issues, including terrorism and Islamabads concerns regarding Indian involvement in stoking unrest in Balochistan.
There have been proposals to develop a serious mechanism on terrorism, he said, while noting that the revival of the peace process would be a first step towards creating a cooperative and tension-free relationship between the two countries.
Jilani said he was confident that Prime Minister Sharifs proposal for establishing a regular mechanism for talks between the Pakistani and Indian national security advisers would be taken up positively.
The proposal for NSA-level talks was first made by Nawaz Sharif when he met the then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York last September.
Jilani, who was Pakistans foreign secretary at the time, said, the Pakistani delegation returned from those talks with the impression that it was taken positively by the Indian side. It remains on the table and when the dialogue process starts, we will revisit the same proposal, he said.
He pointed out that trade between India and Pakistan has increased gradually and could touch $ 5 billion mark by 2015.
The ambassador also noted a marked improvement in Pakistan-US relations and said the Pakistani government was also working to improve its relations with both India and Afghanistan as well as with other neighbours.
Meanwhile, The Express Tribune reports that in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the 14th round of the Chao Phraya Dialogue was held, which focused on the significance of the new government in New Delhi, and also discussed the prospects for peace in South Asia in the context of the impending withdrawal of allied troops from Afghanistan.
The participants welcomed the May 27 meeting between the prime ministers of India and Pakistan in New Delhi and the decision to task the foreign secretaries with finding ways to move the bilateral relationship forward.
As part of the revitalisation of bilateral relations, they urged the two governments to liberalise the visa regime for students, academics and journalists, in particular for correspondents to be stationed in each others capitals.
Pakistani participants included former ambassadors Sherry Rehman, Aziz Ahmad Khan, Najmuddin Shaikh and Shahid Malik, as well as Air Vice Marshal (retd) Shahzad Chaudhry and policy expert Dr Moeed Yusuf, among others. The Indian delegation included AIIs director Prof Amitabh Mattoo, Lok Sabha member Baijayant Jay Panda, former ambassadors Hardeep Singh Puri and Vivek Katju, former military officers Lt. Gen. (retd) Ravi Sawhney and Lt. Gen. (retd) Ata Hasnain, as well as former RAW chief A S Dulat, among others.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
ACT NOW |
MONTHLY | Rs 100 | |
YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |