Pakistan’s military chief Thursday advocated a “stable” relationship with archrival India, saying unsettled disputes between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors are “dragging the region back to the swamp of poverty and underdevelopment.”
Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa told a conference of experts and academics in Islamabad that their territorial dispute over Kashmir is “at the heart” of bilateral tensions and a lack of development in South Asia.
“However, we feel that it is time to bury the past and move forward,” Bajwa said. “But for resumption of peace process or meaningful dialogue, our neighbour will have to create a conducive environment, particularly in Indian-occupied Kashmir.”
Bajwa said that without the resolution of Kashmir, regional “rapprochement” attempts will always remain vulnerable to derailment. (VOA)