Islamabad, March 1
In a major shift from Pakistan’s long-standing position, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, whose party is set to take reins of the country, has expressed readiness to set aside the Kashmir issue to focus on other aspects for improving relations with India.
He emphasised that the relations between India and Pakistan should not be held “hostage” to the Kashmir issue and that the two countries “could wait” so that future generations resolve the dispute in a mature manner in an atmosphere of “trust”.
In views reflecting India’s position, Zardari said he was determined to break the barriers and mindsets that deter trade between the two countries. “The idea is that we feel for Kashmir, the PPP has always felt for Kashmir. We have a strong Kashmir policy. We have always had one,” he said.
“But having said that, we don’t want to be hostage to that situation. That is a situation we can agree to disagree (on). Countries do, we have positions, you have positions. We can agree to disagree on everything,” he told Karan Thapar’s ‘Devil’s Advocate’ programme for CNN-IBN.
Noting that India and Pakistan could “agree to disagree on (the UN resolutions),” he said “We can wait. We can be patient till everybody grows up further. Maybe the coming generation grows up even further and then let’s interact as human beings and come to a position of love.”
Asked if the PPP would be willing to put aside the Kashmir issue just as India and China had set aside their border dispute to focus on other aspects of their ties, Zardari said: “Exactly”. The statement marks a shift in Pakistan’s stated position that Kashmir issue has to be tackled along with efforts on other fronts to improve relations between the two countries.
Pakistan has held this position despite India’s repeated insistence that the two countries set aside the Kashmir issue because of its complexity and work for developing relations in other fields.
— PTI
