Leave the past behind and move forward, Janjua tells India

National security adviser terms recent meeting with Indian counterpart Ajit Doval a 'good beginning'

Terming the recent meeting with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval a "good beginning", Pakistan's National Security Adviser Naseer Lt Gen Naseer Janjua has told India it was important "not to be frozen in the past".

“Let’s think of the future. Let us do it ourselves. Let us not leave it to our children,’’ he said, while referring to the dialogue that has remained stagnant since the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

When asked if his appointment had signaled that Pakistan Army was aboard the peace process between the two countries, Janjua said, “Let us not be dogged about our disputes. We understand that we have to move forward.”



Janjua replaced Sartaj Aziz as the NSA in October, and was regarded in India as a suitable match for Doval, an ex director of Intelligence Bureau.

More recently, the two sides found consensus to address the issue of terrorism.

Janjua was president of the National Defense University, the military’s higher education institute and premier think-tank on national security matters. He also worked on ‘Azm-e-Nau', a military preparedness exercise that had a particular focus on India.



“We have agreed to move forward. Doval and I were absolutely comfortable with each other and we realised we can work together,’’ Janjua said.

Meanwhile, foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan are set to meet next month to talk about the way forward and revival of a comprehensive dialogue between the atomic powers.

The article first appeared on Hindustan Times