CJCSC calls for resolution of Kashmir dispute

Says resolution of the issue will reduce chances of strategic miscalculation

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Zubair Mehmood Hayat said on Tuesday that India was aiming to sabotage the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project through its premier intelligence agency RAW.

“RAW has established a special cell at a cost of $500 million to sabotage the CPEC,” the CJCSC said while addressing a two-day conference on the topic of "Regional Dynamics and Strategic Concerns in South Asia" organised by Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) in collaboration with Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) in Islamabad. “India is stoking chaos and anarchy in the region.”

Claiming that Islamabad will maintain a minimum nuclear deterrence in the context of current regional situation, General Zubair said New Delhi is also fanning terrorism in Balochistan.

During his address, the CJCSC stressed the need to resolve the longstanding Kashmir dispute which, he said, was vital for durable peace in the region. “Kashmir issue is the harbinger of a nuclear war in the region,” he said.

He said South Asian region was defined by the volatile nature of Pakistan-India relations. The resolution of Kashmir issue was important to reduce any chances of strategic miscalculation, he noted.

Gen Zubair said India was committing atrocities in occupied Kashmir and had a belligerent attitude towards Pakistan. India continued to suppress Kashmir's indigenous freedom movement through use of brute force, human rights violations, rape and torture.