Pakistan is looking at exploring new possibilities with India and hopes there will be a stable and reciprocal government in place after May 16, with which it can engage meaningfully.
“We want conflict-free relations with India…but it takes two to Tango. We hope the new government will reciprocate,” Pakistan’s new High Commissioner, Abdul Basit, said at an interaction with women journalists here on Wednesday.
Welcoming BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s tweet in reaction to the recent anti-Pakistan statements made by some senior BJP leaders during election rallies, Basit said “Election campaigns have their own rhetoric. But, the statement from Modi gives us hope about the positive things to come.”
Reacting to Bihar BJP leader Giriraj Singh’s statement that Modi-baiters should go to Pakistan, Modi had urged his well-wishers not to “deviate” from issues of development and good governance.
Basit said the Nawaz Sharif Government was clear about its focus on regional security, without which development was not possible. “Normal and good relations with India are crucial to this ‘Region First’ vision, which is why we have to move from conflict management to conflict resolution,” he said.
Lamenting “too much negativity” in Indo-Pak relations, the High Commissioner said, “Politics is trumping everything when it comes to South Asia, be it commerce, trade, sports and culture. We would like to have peace through dialogue and engagement,” adding that both countries needed to strengthen people-to-people contact.
On the contentious Kashmir issue, Basit said aspirations of people on both sides of J&K were fundamental to any solution.