Pak-India relations: Diplomat optimistic about peace process
Basit expects better ties between the two countries.
Pakistan’s envoy in India, Abdul Basit. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
NEW DELHI:
Cautious optimism marked a curtain-raiser for an event in New Delhi on Tuesday as Pakistan’s envoy anticipated better days ahead for relations between the two archrivals.
“Let the bilateral engagement resume. Our two Prime Ministers have met and all issues were discussed,” Pakistan’s envoy in India, Abdul Basit said. “We hope that things would be carried forward when the time comes,” he added.
Basit was addressing the opening ceremony of the second edition of “Aalishan Pakistan”, an exhibition of Pakistani lifestyle brands in India.
Borrowing from Indian Prime Minister’s election catchphrase, an upbeat Basit said, ‘Acche din aa rahe hain’. Modi has repeatedly used the phrase on the campaign trail, promising better days for India.
Basit expressed hope for improvement in India-Pakistan ties and said the process of granting non-discriminatory market access to the country will begin after the resumption of talks between the two.
The envoy said citizens of both counties had given mandate to their leaders to end years of hesitation. He said that the meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart offered a fresh opportunity to revitalise the moribund peace process, which has been stalled since early 2013.
“I have no reason to doubt for a moment that acche din aa rahe hain (good days are on their way),” Basit said.
Bilateral trade talks have been suspended since last year following escalation in violence at the Line of Control. In 2012, Pakistan had committed itself to giving the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India but missed its own deadline, owing to domestic political pressure.
Highlighting last month’s meeting, Basit said that the leaders have articulated their shared vision for peace and development. However, he added that in an era of globalisation, the South Asian region was still stuck in an outdated narrative.
Modi, who came to power with a brimming foreign policy in-tray, is perceived as a hardliner, however since being elected his administration’s stance towards Pakistan has been somewhat softer than most analysts expected.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2014.
Cautious optimism marked a curtain-raiser for an event in New Delhi on Tuesday as Pakistan’s envoy anticipated better days ahead for relations between the two archrivals.
“Let the bilateral engagement resume. Our two Prime Ministers have met and all issues were discussed,” Pakistan’s envoy in India, Abdul Basit said. “We hope that things would be carried forward when the time comes,” he added.
Basit was addressing the opening ceremony of the second edition of “Aalishan Pakistan”, an exhibition of Pakistani lifestyle brands in India.
Borrowing from Indian Prime Minister’s election catchphrase, an upbeat Basit said, ‘Acche din aa rahe hain’. Modi has repeatedly used the phrase on the campaign trail, promising better days for India.
Basit expressed hope for improvement in India-Pakistan ties and said the process of granting non-discriminatory market access to the country will begin after the resumption of talks between the two.
The envoy said citizens of both counties had given mandate to their leaders to end years of hesitation. He said that the meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart offered a fresh opportunity to revitalise the moribund peace process, which has been stalled since early 2013.
“I have no reason to doubt for a moment that acche din aa rahe hain (good days are on their way),” Basit said.
Bilateral trade talks have been suspended since last year following escalation in violence at the Line of Control. In 2012, Pakistan had committed itself to giving the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India but missed its own deadline, owing to domestic political pressure.
Highlighting last month’s meeting, Basit said that the leaders have articulated their shared vision for peace and development. However, he added that in an era of globalisation, the South Asian region was still stuck in an outdated narrative.
Modi, who came to power with a brimming foreign policy in-tray, is perceived as a hardliner, however since being elected his administration’s stance towards Pakistan has been somewhat softer than most analysts expected.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2014.