Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said Thursday that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will meet with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Friday in the Russian city of Ufa, site of summits of the BRICS trade group and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Advertisement
Mirwaiz also stressed upon the need for a sustained dialogue process between the two countries to create favorable conditions for the resolution of all outstanding issues between the two including the core issue of Kashmir.
While welcoming the resumption of high-level contact between the two countries, he said, “Though there are a number of contending issues between the two countries but it remains a fact that Kashmir has always remained the fundamental cause of sour relationship and at times armed conflict between the two nations”.
This is due to the huge amount of subsidy which Indian government gives to its sector and this is the main reason why Pakistan, which before partition, was exporting agriculture items, is now importing those products.
The dinner is being held every year for the Kashmiri leaders.
“This attitude of timepass and putting serious issues on the back-burner will further ignite the situation and Indian and Pakistani leaders should know that without resolving the Jammu and Kashmir issue, the dreams of a peaceful and progressive South Asia will never come true”, he said. Neither can it be sidelined nor ignored.
With Pakistan promising to expedite the 26/11 Mumbai trial, India is exploring the possibility of sending a fresh dossier and asking the neighbouring country to send 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi back to prison. The joint statement should have at least mentioned Kashmir in addition to the issues they have agreed upon.
“The dialogue will only succeed when Kashmiris are also included in the process”, Mirwaiz told the Friday congregation at the city’s grand mosque.
He said that headway on the Kashmir issue would lead to “automatic progress” on the other matters as well.
Advertisement
Since being elected a year ago, Modi has taken a more robust approach to Pakistan. “Other issues between the two countries will get settled automatically”, he said.
