Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s top foreign policy aide on Tuesday precluded the possibility of talks with India in the near future, blaming New Delhi’s obduracy for the stalemate.
“We don’t expect any breakthrough on resumption of bilateral dialogue with India while the [Narendra] Modi administration is at the helm,” Sartaj Aziz, the prime minister’s adviser on foreign affairs and national security, told journalists after inaugurating the annual conference of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.
“India suspended the dialogue and now it is its responsibility to take an initiative [for reviving the stalled talks],” Aziz said referring to the cancellation of the scheduled foreign secretary-level talks by New Delhi. He added that Pakistan could not compromise on its self-respect and honour for friendship with India.
Highlighting one of the core issues between Pakistan and India, Aziz said Islamabad raised the lingering Kashmir dispute at the United Nations after a bilateral mechanism with India could not deliver results over the past 40 years.
About the current economic situation, Aziz said there was no change in rent-seeking structure of the economy, while the academia urged the government to review anti-poor policies to end poverty that is increasing at an alarming rate. Aziz said the government was creating opportunities for the marginalised segment of society.
The conference has been organised at a time when poverty and inequality are rapidly increasing in the country and the government is not ready to address the structural issues. “Invariably inequality increases when the [economic] growth rate increases,” said Aziz, adding that the root causes of poverty sprang from the power structure of society in which benefits accrued to those who owned land.
Aziz said that macroeconomic policies had an urban bias, in which positive protection was given to industry and the agriculture was put on the backburner. “The free market ideology and adjustment policies of the international institutions such as World Bank have a negative impact on the poor,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 3rd, 2014.
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This is no brainer Mr Aziz. Indians are waiting for the Mumbai culprits to be brought to justice and the elusive Dawood Ibrahim, the mastermind terrorist of D Coy allegedly sheltered by the pakistani establishment to be handed over. How can anyone imagine that they will be interested in resuming any talks until these essential conditions are fulfilled? So far all talks have been futile anyway when the stated Indian position on Kashmir remains unchanged. Well sort yourself out Mr Aziz, the ball is in your court and not the Indians.
@Gp65: @Ajnabee: Fully agree with your comments. Pakistan has lost its way a long time back and is suffering a great deal both at home and abroad, but still refuses to abandon its self-destructive policy.
After the gaffe, Mr Aziz is desperate to look respectable in public. “We don’t expect any breakthrough on resumption of bilateral dialogue with India while the [Narendra] Modi administration is at the helm,” Well, Modi is here for at least 5 years, or may be 10. Mr Aziz is likely to have retired by then. Can the two nations afford to be 'estranged' for a decade Mr Aziz?
Pray be so kind as to tell me,what will pakistan use as a rallying cry for all your disparate elements now that the people of J&K have shown their support for India with their 71% turn-out in these elections. Once there is a palpable shift toward India there will be a flood of Indian money into the area uplifting these badly used people.Once their youth see the benefit of jobs and progress, Indian stance on J&K will be justified and pressure will be on pakistan to move out of POK so the people can all be together.
Stalemate = status quo. That's fine by India.
@Last Word: Working boundary implying hat somehow even that is not settled is Pakistani term. Indian term is international oundary. Both people use the term LOC for LOC.
Anyway it is interesting that neother Dawn nor ET has bothered o report that 71% voting happened in phase 2 polls for Jammu and Kashmir as well. What does that tell you about leitimacy of Hurriyat, for whose sake Pakistan walked away from talks with India?
India has not laid down any stringent condition to start the dialogue process but only wants peaceful environment on the working boundary. However, Pakistan seems to be reluctant to comply this legitimate demand being a state policy which is not acceptable to India and even rest of the world.
Sajad Lone, former pro-Pakistan Kashmiri separatist with Pakistani wife, now is pro-Indian and had a friendly meeting with PM Narendra Modi.
The voter turnout in Jammu & Kashmir is 72% showing that Indian democracy is being accepted in Jammu & Kashmir! Even the BJP has a chance of winning, or at least get a decent number of seats.
India has constructed rail link from Jammu through Srinagar, all the way to Baramulla. The airport in Srinagar has been upgraded and is now an international airport. Now India is planning an expressway in Jammu & Kashmir and many other infrastructure projects.
Pakistan can forget Kashmir issue or else in 10 years time, Azad Kashmir will want to join India.
To the Pakistani leadership, breakthrough means Indian concession on Kashmir ... which will never ever happen ... the ball is actually in Pakistan's court since 1947 ... Pakistan did all it could in the past 68 years ... now, expecting to achieve the impossible through dialogue is nothing but fooling oneself and the people of Pakistan ... !!