Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday instructed the incoming foreign secretary, Abdul Basit, to aggressively pursue efforts to improve ties with India and Afghanistan.
Basit, who was named Pakistan’s foreign secretary this week, met the prime minister to discuss major foreign policy issues.
An official familiar with the meeting told The Express Tribune that Nawaz has directed Basit to pursue ‘peace diplomacy’ with India to ensure that the stalled peace process between the two new nuclear-armed neighbours resume soon.
His efforts to seek rapprochement with India comes amidst heightened tensions between Pakistan and India over repeated ceasefire violations at the Line of Control (LoC).
Despite ongoing skirmishes along the LoC, such statements indicate the Nawaz administration’s belief that pursuing the peace process is the only solution to de-escalate the situation.
The premier recently met his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on the fringes of the UN General Assembly in New York and both sides agreed to work out a new mechanism to avoid repeated ceasefire violations at the LoC. However, India refused to resume the stalled composite dialogue until the ‘right atmosphere’ was created for peace talks.
Meanwhile, the official said that the prime minister has also asked the new foreign secretary to improve ties with Afghanistan by making all-out efforts to facilitate the Afghan-led reconciliation process.
Basit, who would replace Jalil Abbas Jilani after he was named as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US, will likely take charge of his new responsibilities in the first week of November.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 12th, 2013.
COMMENTS (20)
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@The Only Normal Person Here:
Sir, Have you not heard about the age of Internet which allows anyone from anywhere -- it enables, after all, Pakistanis to post hateful invectives and diatribes in "street English" embellished with Urdu vulgarities on Indian websites -- to prowl on the websites elsewhere and air their views which (as in the case of Pakistanis) may be an eye opener for the local readers who are totally brainwashed with the anti-India gibberish and hate-mongering taught to them from the day they are born? If you look at the whole phenomenon objectively, such interaction can also help remove decades of prejudice and bias when you know how the opposite side feels and thinks about you. You can also learn a few things from the Indian trolls whom you despise so much, yet love reading their comments (that's why you keep coming to this site). As the "only normal person here", I am sure you will see the positive contribution of this lively exchange between the people off two siblings born out of the same womb of Mother India!
@The Only Normal Person Here: Yes to make you the only normal person there.
Well all the Pakistanis here talking about peace, should certainly look at these timing of peace talk from PM NS. These are hard times for Pakistan. Economy is shattering. West border is flaming. Terrorists are rampant. Pakistan army needs a breather on east border and pushing NS to keep singing the peace song while at same time infiltrating the terrorists. I don't think this kind of double face tactics will do any good to Pakistan now. NATO already has seen this ugly side of Pakistan too.Had Pakistan being doing good, I am sure there would not have been any peace talk at all. Its time for NS to reign the army and close all terrorist camps in PoK before going for any peace talks. Any way i don't know what the peace talk is all about and I don't get the logic. First you pester your enemy and get into fight and then you ask for peace talks. Weird. The peace can only be long lasting if Pakistan accept the LoC as international border or if they want plebiscite first get their army out of PoK, get Askai Chin back from China and then India will hold any plebiscite if needed.
Who is India suppose to negotiate peace with? Pakistan's foreign policy is controlled by the military and Sharif doesn't have anymore control of Pakistan's military than Singh.
Walk the talk Mian Sahab. As of now no one trusts Pakistani peace offers.
@All pakistani's........'Why dont u hold a pleabiscite in POK and Gilgit baltistan to set an example for India and the world,,,That would be beneficial.....I am not even talking about baloch rights here........Now dont tell me that there are dozens of seperatist moment going on in India......we Indians live in India and know what seperatist moment are going on here.....lol..z.......funny isn't it.....India os so huge and so attached,hope u understand ...its not about religion....its about being an Indian and not an arab...
India is hostile..now let us all set an example by holding plebiscite in POK..which includes Gilgit baltistan also......
ET..get it through...nothing offensive....
@Aleem: Plebiscite is promised by our country yes right, is the UN conditions are fulfilled by Pakistan. First Pakistan has to vacate the occupied Kashmir and give back the Kashmir to India, then the stupid Chinese had also occupied part of the Kashmir those parts are to be returned back and India should have minimum security in JK for law and order. When all these conditions are fulfilled as per UN resolution then only the plebiscite will come into force.
Since Pakistan has not fulfilled the UN condition so there is no point of talking about plebiscite....
After independence India was ready to fulfill its condition at that time Pakistan was not ready... later Pakistani assets killed Kashmir Pandits (Hindus) and changed the Kashmir demography in favor of Muslims. So in this situation asking for plebiscite is unfair.
@Murad Malik: When our former Prime Minister Vajpayee went to Pakistan, I honestly believed there will friendship between Pakistan and India.... Pakistan's Kargil adventure shattered my belief then Mumbai attack by Pakistan has erased whatever little faith I had on Pakistan. Now if Pakistan talks of peace I used to think what might be the bad intention behind that peace talk. Not even small bit of trust is there on Pakistan, I guess most of the Indians feel like me only, so Pakistan should be trusted based on its actions NOT BASED on what it talks....
@Murad Malik: " Maybe the other means of communicating with you ring the right bells in Delhi". Something new on your mind, buddy - something different from '48, '65', 71', '99? Care to spell it out, and why you are optimistic about the outcome?
This soft approach by Nawaz Sharif towards India is fueled by nothing but the vested interests of the various businesses run by his friends/associates. Even after being snubbed by India time and again he still comes up with these comical statements. Someone needs to make him understand that peace is a two way street. Mr. Nawaz Sharif should realise that he is PM of Pakistan and not a Secretary General of UN and he should only work in the interest of the country.
Nawaz Sharif should first hold talks with his own military, and if the latter agrees to abandon its policy of exporting terrorism then only extend the olive branch to India, but chances of the military divorcing its decades old partner appears to be extremely remote.
So apparently Indians on a Pakistan newspaper can post whatever they want to.
The pm should appoint a capable foreign minister.
@zoro Hold plebiscite in Kashmir as was promised by your country so that the major hurdle to good relation between india and Pakistan can be removed. Do your part for peace in this region.
@R. Subramanian: Oh please dude, mind your own issues, you guys it seems do not take kindly if some Pakistani leader speaks sense. Maybe the other means of communicating with you ring the right bells in Delhi.
Ok, so Pakistan wants to talk peace, but can India reciprocate too? All Indians know is to jump in and destroy any peace-process.
Looks like the PM has realised that latest incursions in Kashmir and India ...is like the 999th cut ... and still nothing has happened to India ... The 1000th cut might invite 1:10 cuts to Pakistan from India ... as India will exhaust her quota of 1000 cuts ... and that could be more disaster for already failing Pakistan... Keep it up .. everybody wants peace ... But kargil and Mumbai will have to be dealt first ... Only after that something will move forward ... No free lunches now ... everything will have a price ...