Experts urge peaceful Pakistan-India ties
Pakistan-India Relations: Fractured Past, Uncertain Future, authored by Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan.
At a recent book launch hosted by the India Study Centre (ISC) of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), experts emphasized the urgent need for Pakistan to maintain a principled and peaceful approach toward India, despite escalating tensions and setbacks under the current Indian government.
The event marked the launch of Pakistan-India Relations: Fractured Past, Uncertain Future, authored by Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan. The book provides an insightful analysis of the complex and often turbulent relationship between the two neighboring countries.
ISSI Director-General Ambassador Sohail Mahmood praised the book for combining the realism of a seasoned diplomat with the hopeful passion of a peace advocate. He outlined five major challenges the book addresses: the enduring Jammu and Kashmir dispute; conflicting stances on terrorism; volatile domestic politics; India's pursuit of regional dominance; and the intricate dynamics of global geopolitics.
Reflecting on the deterioration of bilateral ties since the Modi-led BJP government came to power over a decade ago, Ambassador Mahmood highlighted the suspension of structured dialogues, Kashmir-related intransigence, frequent military confrontations, use of proxies by India to destabilize Pakistan, economic and sports boycotts, the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, and stalled SAARC initiatives. He identified four structural obstacles impeding progress: the RSS-BJP's Hindutva ideology, the political exploitation of the "Pakistan bogey," India's economic arrogance, and its ambitions for major-power status.