Instead of indulging in an arms race, India and Pakistan should compete instead in fields of education, science and arts, said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday.
He was addressing the 17-member delegation of Indian parliamentarians at a luncheon at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
Sharif said that both countries would have progressed if the issues had been resolved through dialogue and resources spent on public welfare “instead of wasting them on wars”.
It is high time that we give up confrontation, Sharif said, adding that the two countries needed to live peacefully. “There is no option [available] other than negotiations,” he said.
However, he added, efforts should continue to find solutions to all outstanding issues, including Kashmir. He called it an “essential” for durable peace in the region.
He called poverty, disease and ignorance “common enemies” and said cooperation would benefit both countries.
Sharif then talked about the last tenure of his brother, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. He said that Atal Bahari Vajpai, the then Indian premier, had been welcomed with open hearts when he came to Lahore. Had the democratic process continued, “irritants” in Indo-Pak relations would have been removed, Sharif said.
Indian Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar thanked the chief minister for the lunch and appreciated the love that the visitors had received in Lahore.
The two dignitaries also engaged in an ‘impromptu’ recital of poetry, which was initiated by Meira Kumar. At the end, Kumar said she was “very impressed” with the chief minister’s taste in poetry.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 26th, 2012.
COMMENTS (70)
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99, what is written cannot be unwritten. Pakistan has only to wait their time, build their armed forces and country to win. There will be no India. I am a full believer in scripture.
As a regular visitor to this site - I noticed something, that i believe is worth calling out;
# of comments to this page is fairly low most people commenting/appreciating statement from Shahbaz Sharif are Indians (going by their comment & names)What does it imply? No guesses here....i suppose.
Shabash Shabaaz!!! The only way to progress in a very competitive global economy of 2012 is to collaborate within our south asian region. Like china, lets forget every other issue for next 500 years. Then we can prosper and give our poor, a better quality of life, rather than the awful existence they have on a daily basis. @ my fellow Indians. Try and respect everyone. Greatness cannot be achieved by running down others. It can be achieved by improving our selves and our society. @ my pakistani friends. Do forgive some of our avgressive bloggers. They honestly give indians no pride.
@Shantanu G:
"India may be bigger than Pakistan but Pakistan is a stronger nation because Pakistan is more just and followers true guidance. India is all show business no substance. Pakistan is not able to market its strengths and its moral stands because the world is against it. Over time Pakistan will certainly beat India as predicted by scripture."
Which world are you living in. Some Pakistanis conveniantly blame the world for their problems and believe that the scriptures are going to guide them to power. Nothing is written in stone and god only helps those who help themselves.
we are preparing for china not Pakistan!Chinese are untrustworthy..
Words of wisdom from the Pakistani leader's side. But if India wants to be under the illusion of dominance and power in the region then all the words from Pakistan will not change India and Pakistan's relationship with India will always be a cautious one. And Kashmir issue will have to be resolved peacefully and peaceful does not mean being silent and quiet . . .it means talking and engaging for a successful conclusion in favour of the people of the disputed Kashmir.
This is the most sensible statement i have ever heard from any Pakistani Leader......
Firstly, as a Pakistani I do vociferously criticize my country's military establishment; however,it does not mean that the Indian narrative is right. Pakistan has committed more mistakes, but still India has contributed to many of our problems.
Having said that I can say from my own side that Pakistan should rethink its policies concerning Kashmir. We have contributed significantly in creating chaos and turning it into a death valley.
We do not need to hug each other, but we need a working relationship at best. Which means Both military establishments' have to sit face to face. There is no better way.
@ FactCheck: go read them. I don't what you are talking about.
@amit: Okay I agree that we should have peace but from both sides.
@Sundeep: Were you born yesterday? If Pakistan wanted to attack India it could have done so just when the Chinese had India on the run, in 1962. Further, it was India that attacked Pakistan in 1965 when it could not deal with the infiltration by the Kashmiris from across the LoC. As to the Nuclear test, it was conducted to calm Mr. Advani, who had repeatedly threatened to capture the "rest" of Kashmir as well--just read the newspapers from that period.
Having said that, I think Kargil was a stupid blunder. I also think that war, in today's world at least, is not the solution. Just see what is happening all around us and you will understand.
India may be bigger than Pakistan but Pakistan is a stronger nation because Pakistan is more just and followers true guidance. India is all show business no substance. Pakistan is not able to market its strengths and its moral stands because the world is against it. Over time Pakistan will certainly beat India as predicted by scripture.
Better late than never.
@Ramesh: Agree Pakistan should not built up in qty, we do have tactical cluster Nukes to annihilate any landforce attacking from across the border. It is sufficient for Pak at the moment.
@let there be peace: Spot on. By this knowledge what do you choose then to do? What is that India can offer Pakistan? We cannot offer you anything either. Our interest with India is in the many millions pakistanis having families in India. And we too dont like the elite Indians obsessed sith "Bharat" and your BJP and Modi (maybe the next primeminister?) . We are happy you are strong and happy, we are too. And we will get even stronger economically :) let us compete in good faith, competition is good. We will all progress faster
Oh now you remember peace. The country of Pakistan would greatly benefit if you and your family resigned from politics and returned all the money accumulated through corruption and apologized to the people of this country for all the wrong doing. Instead of reciting poetry, do something worthwhile for a change, open up trade with India. Do something instead of giving speeches that don't mean anything to the common man. We don't want to hear what should be done, we know, do something then come and tell us what you have done.
@G. Din: Sir, keep that tone and arrogance at your home. Pakistan is a very capable country in all aspects and we ARE having a dispute with india on Kashmir. You see it is matter of principle that until Kashmir is solbed to the full satisfaction of all involved stakeholders we cannot be buddies. And Pak will progress, grow and be persuasive no matter at he same time no matter what you, US or other say or think. Good health and progress to you too.
@Ali Hassan: Very well said. Totally agree. Pakistan is moving fast toward growth and prosperity.
We have backtracked too many times. We made peace overtures then we do things like Kargil. Our credibility is near zero. The army and ISI at the root and branch level need to be on board with the peace process otherwise it means nothing to sign peace treaties. We have even double crossed the Americans so it is going to be a tough sell to get the Indians to believe us.
Only economic reunion will prevent war between India and Pakistan. Our mutual hatred and distrust will not end for at least 3 generations even if we start economic ties now. Pakistan should stop depending on US and Gulf countries. Gulf countries just exploit Pakistani human resources and make sure that Pakistani people just don't lift there standards to an exten when they stop coming to Gulf to keep them going with cheap labour force. India should respect its small neighbours and take them seriously and respect their existence. Hopefully sense will prevail soon.
@Ali Hassan:
Facts in what sense? There isn’t any!
@Syed Zulfiqar:
Indeed arms purchase does tell a story but the story is hell of lot different than you realize. Besides India can afford to spend as much in monetary terms because it is about 12% of GDP. With annual growth rate of 8% to 9% India can continue to increase spending in monetary terms for a long time and get self sufficient in producing its own defensive equipment.
@Zeta:
You are very right...and some of it is embararsing to me too..well I apolosize
my friend check this world bank data help you(world bank report of pakistan 1965-2010) and ya without indian help this not mean ki only trade with india .i am telling without peace with india pakistan never been prosper.same also india without bangladesh ,nepal ,afghanistan ,pakistan india never been become iconomic world power.
@Blithe: Sorry to enlighten you. But there cant be any peace till the Balochistan issue gets resolved.
@amit: Pakistan's GDP growth was 8.96% in 2006. And, excuse me! What help are you talking about? Exporting terrorism from other countries into Pakistan and Pakistan bashing in your media is probably the only help you provide to Pakistan. So, if you are saying without India's help Pakistan's economy cannot do well then you are living a dream mate. I must say, economically we are not dependent on you.
Other issues raised by you such as aid from US, KSA, IMF or WB, I would recommend if you get another argument. The fact is our economy was doing well up until 2007. Now, if you want to bring your own catalyst to support your argument then I believe it makes your weak argument even more weaker.
NB: I would advise you not to blame Muslims living in your country because you pride yourself on being a secular country.
"Instead of indulging in an arms race, India and Pakistan should compete instead in fields of education, science and arts, said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday."
This the kind of delusional mindset that has engulfed Pak people for decades!!!! Where is the question of India getting into an "Arms Race" with Pakistan? India is about 7.5 times the size of Pakistan. Even on "per capita parity", it would be still at least 8 times the defense capability of Pakistan. It is Pakistan which is delusional and trying to "race" upto India.
hahaha my friend pakistan after 1980(aid of us,west and soudi) pakistan never touch 9% growth and i don't think without india's help you touch 6-7% growth (if west ,us ,imf and soudi not give aid).your country birth rate is way higher than india .after 1980 your highest gdp growth 2005=7.65(include us,and west aid ).and never forget your in 2005 your population growth was 1.8 compare to india 1.3(main reason indian muslim vary high birth rate) .so your actual growth 2005 was 7.65-1.8 =......(link text) and ya this is not 1992 when india is alone today india is growing economic world power and self sufficient economy so i don't think any one stop india.
Such statements from Pakistani leaders mean nothing unless backed by Army and Mullas. India and Pakistan signed a no war pact in Tashkent after the 1965 war and again in 1972 after the Bangla war. Result we all know. I am sorry to say that this has always been like this at our western fronts. Muhammad Ghouri also signed similar pacts with Prithvi Taj Chauhan after his initial defeats. However, he went back to re-group. Result was the Muslim rule of India. India supported China in every possible way and spoke of "Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai". Result was 1962 invasion. Let us not get emotional. International relations are not conducted through emotions. We need to be pragmatic. Maintain good working relations, but be prepared to go on war any time if need arises. True friendship will come only when there will be change of hearts at all sides.
India had proposed no war pact, no first use of nuclear weapons, severeal times. India proposed those so that Pakistan army cannot scare its people with propoganda that India is going to attack Pakistan.
Both those proposals have been rejected by Pakistan. It says, it wont sign no-war pact or non-use of nuclear weapons until Kashmir is resolved. Can Mr Sharifs, accept India's proposals, without upsetting its alliance with the religious right ? What does it say about Pakistan ? Does Pakistan think that its refusal to sign no-war pact and non-use of nuclear weapons going to scare India to give it Kashmir ?
Anyway, I still welcome Mr S Sharif's statement, even though they wont be backed by actions, like 'unconditional support' to no-war pact.
Agreed. But there is a slight nuance here. India HAS progressed! It is on the verge of becoming a global economic power and it's poverty is going to drop fast in a matter of years. On the other hand we still haven't figured out what we want to be when we grow up...a mullah nation or a real one. Time to also talk about size of our military budget and how govt spending should be better allocated to raise spending on health and education from one of the lowest levels in the world.
@Udaya Bose: "So while there is sovereign equality, relations cannot be based on parity. " You have as much sovereignty as you can exercise. With most of Pakistan where its writ does not hold, there is hardly any sovereignty Pakistan really has. @Blithe: "Good that Kashmir was mention as a condition for durable peace. " When shall it dawn on you that you have absolutely no leverage to name any conditions for anything you want with anyone? It appears that you have more drowning to do until you hit the bottom. Until then, there shall be no dawn. Try keeping what little you do have before casting covetous glances towards Kashmir.
The U.S. and Canada were able to bury the hatchet in the nineteenth century despite the horrible division that marked their birth. Why can't India and Pakistan do the same?
@well-wisher:
Yeah right and you were sitting on the table when they offered the PACT....some people here are really funny
@Ali Hassan:
Wonderfully summarized...Jiye Pakistan
@ Sajid: I stated the facts also, which no one can DENY.
For enduring peace between the two countries it is absolutely necessary that the two countries accept the current of LOC in Kashmir as final and settled boundary between the two countries.There will never be any other solution for normalizing relations between the two countries. Someone in the two coutnries has to break the logjam and talk boldly and honestly about the ground realities. Other issues will, hopefully, get sorted out once the current Kashmir boundaries are accepted wholeheartedly on both sides.
I agree with @Sundeep. All this talk and partying is fine, but does Pakistan's civilian government has any authority in matters concerning India? Has Pakistan given up its core ideology i.e. to hate India and to keep trying to break India even if they have to eat grass? Except for some enlightened minority (which does not really have any say in policy matters in Pakistan), most of Pakistan is mentally in perpetual state of war against India. This sweet talk is just a war tactic because Pakistan is currently cornered. Has Pakistan stopped using covert Jihad as state policy? Have they acted against numerous elements responsible for terrorists attacks like 26/11 (and many more before that). Have they stopped treating international terrorist and drug mafia like Dawood Ibrahim as state guest and partner? Have they given up illegally occupied Indian territory? Has Pakistan stopped being mercenary of China against India?
We should be cautious and alert and think with cool head;but most likely as usual Indians will fall for the sweet words and when Pakistan is strong enough, at opportune time they will strike using whatever means possible.
This is a never ending cycle.
Just the read comments here on ET, the venomous hatred in indians for Pakistan far more than in Pakistanis for Indians.
Unless and until they come out of the closet of hatred, Nothing is gonna happen
“Peace Be Upon All and Hate None”
@Ali Hassan: You shame me my country man, you can't get out of denial can you. Just try, at least.
@Ali Hassan:
No one will be able to beat you in the art of oneupmanship!
I would love to meet you after ten years or so.
Amit ji- Comparing youself with others is like insulting yourself. Its not about comaprisons, its about real peace n friendship. An "enabling environment" that goes a long way to Make SAARC a vibrant and strong region.
Poets are impractical creatures. They articulate just a feeling or a vision. Peace in the final instance is up to the people. Everyone wants peace. Including the soldier and the priest. Its the terms that stand in the way. The first comprise is the one we must make within ourselves. Can we do that? The vision beckons like a siren.
What you say now really does not matter. This issue is realistically out of the hands of the politicians until such time yo'll get your act together.
@ amit: how easy it is to say that India will grow at 8-9% for next 30-35 years. Don't forget Pakistan's economy was also growing at 9% (second highest in Asia after China) was four years ago for very consistent period.
Also, don't forget your 1992 economic crises which India is still concerned about at this point in time. Please stop glorifying India while turning a blind eye on your poverty stricken population.
Pakistan was doing a wonderful job in economy, education, military, technology and other aspects. Unfortunately, for the past 4 years we have been unfortunate due to incompetent lawmakers (which you also have in your country).
It doesn't matter how big defense budget may grow by, India will still be obsessed of Pakistan due to our military capability (whether you agree or not). The reason your defense budget is growing because you people have added one more guest to your list of obsessed countries (i.e. China).
Pakistan will grow again after 2013 elections because people have understanding of issues much better than they had before. I AM VERY OPTIMISTIC JUST LIKE ANY OTHER PATRIOTIC PAKISTANI.
India has progressed because it has not invested in terrorism and the rule of law is above what any mullah says. Pakistan has not progressed because our No1 national export is terrorism and the government is terrified of upsetting the mullah
I think India should play safe bcoz you never know when you will be attacked again. Civilian govt might say something but Pak military can not be trusted and they make the foreign policy of pakistan.
Our resources did not go to waste. we are a nuclear power because of such wars.
There is no alternate to peace and elevation of poverty from the sub-continent. Any effort to achieve this goal is always laudable. But the recent very huge arm purchases and contracts of India tells a different story.
Now when the same slogan was raised by Bacha Khan & J M Syed and Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai then they were called traitors and were jailed. This is the problem with Pakistan. It is good that Punjab have realized that their Baloch, Sindhi and Pukhtun brothers were telling the truth. Deer Ayad Drust Ayad.
What is done is done. We should look at a shared future of trust and prosperity. But if Pakistan keeps looking at Indo-Pak relations through the prism of Kashmir then not much will be achieved. Yes, Kashmir is an issue but it cannot be presented at all times as the deal-breaker. It is also a fact that India is four times larger by area, seven times by population and ten times by the economy. So while there is sovereign equality, relations cannot be based on parity. That is the reality. However, that does not prevent a co-operative and mutually beneficial engagement.
in 2012-13 india defence budget according to defence minister 36 billion se 40-41 billion ho raha hai so .pakistan has no choise .only peace with india save their country and economy.and please don't put education here pakistan actual litteracy rate(not govt.)only 49% not 56% compare to india 74.04 %.and ya pakistan is 15-20 years behind in science & technology and high tech field to india. in education sector indians compititor is us and china not pakistan .india is growing 8-9% in next 30-35 years pakistan trade kare ya na kare . .
"Sharif said that both countries would have progressed if the issues had been resolved through dialogue and resources spent on public welfare “instead of wasting them on wars”"
Speaking from a ditch in which Pakistan is today, Sharif talks of what "both countries" should have done. If Sharif had said "Pakistan would have progressed if it did not indulged in war with India over Kashmir" then he would have touched reality.
By sending such meaningless and cosmetic delegation to Pakistan India is encouraging Pakistan's belligerence and making it fell on par with India.
Well said. It seems like Shahbaz Shareef is better suited for leadership of PML-N than Mr. Nawaz Shareef.
Better late than never. Its encouraging to observe that almost all the major and real political parties encourage peace with India and are on the same page in this regard. Its only handful of religious extreme right, who dont have any representation in assemblies, making hate speeches and discouraging trade with India. Whereas, a vast majority of Pakistanis are not only peace loving but they want to co-exist with our neighbours in a friendly and coordial manner. A dream of a welfare state will only come true when our establishment will start to link security with social welfare and economic development. Only peace will ensure more allocation of funds for economic and social development.
Good that Kashmir was mention as a condition for durable peace.
We appreciate the feelings of Shahbaz shareef and let us close this door of our exploitation by the international exploiters onece for all, we can be good neighbours and for how long we will be -----------this amount should be spent on the well being of the poor masses on the both sides of the boarders.
India is now in such a situation that it has to be in the arms race with China even if it doesn't like it. Pakistan can go for a pact with India on no war and first use of atom bomb with India.
Well, whenever they feel superior to India, all this advocacy goes to trash. Like in 1965, India was down after the war with China, they thought it was their chance. And in Kargil, right after they detonate a nuclear bomb they thought they could take on India. Now India is too powerful for them, they want peace. Hypocrites.
There is no need to doubt the genuineness of friendly gestures coming from Pakistanis but to think that India is in competition with Pakistan is an exaggeration. Pakistanis many a times get riled by the suggestion that India is a much bigger country and its needs are therefore entirely different from that of its comparatively smaller neighbors. That is a fact which can not be overlooked. And the other fact about India and China is that both the countries are self-made economies despite so much of sufferings during the cold war. Both these countries now live in the glass houses and do not intend to throw stones at each other. India-China trade has soared to over $70billions. We wish and pray that Pakistan also build that glass house for itself.
Der AAye, Darust AAye!
Pakistanis are at last realizing the folly of their past policies and actions. What is interesting is the pains they take to use the words "mutual" and "both". What they forget is that India knew all this all along. Time has come for Pakistan to change course for its own sake without looking at what India does.
Indian defense is not Pakistan centric whereas Pakistan's is India centric.
Pakistan also needs to keep in check the Hafiz Saeeds and Hamid Guls of Difa-e-Pakistan fame. They are Pakistan's real enemies.