Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that there were no possibilities of any meaningful dialogue with the current leadership in India because of its “religious nationalism”.
He said that South Asia had been held back by political differences and conflicts, putting Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan as the biggest problem holding back the region’s development and prosperity.
“Meaningful negotiations with India are impossible as long as the government there is inspired by this ideology.
“I hope someday India could have a rational government with which resolution of disputes could be sought through logical and sane discussions,” Imran Khan said.
He highlighted that India and Pakistan, being arch rivals, have been fighting against each other for decades, adding that once core disputes would be resolved, especially that of Kashmir, both countries could jointly fight against the menace of terrorism and climate change.
He said that he was disappointed to have all his peace overtures to India being seen as a sign of weakness.
About regional conflicts, Imran Khan said that those countries who were seeking to resolve disputes through war were badly mistaken.
“They are either unaware of history or they are too proud of their weapons. They certainly have no consideration for humanity. This has led to grave miscalculations,” Khan said hinting his comments towards India.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who said that there were serious concerns over major regional powers drifting towards a extremist approach of confrontation, seconded the Prime Minister’s comments.
“This can lead to new rivalries and push the world again into bloc politics. A new Cold War seems to be taking shape,” he said.
“Pakistan’s primary interest was in seeking a peaceful and stable international order that takes everyone on board. Pakistan will remain committed to peaceful coexistence, cooperative multilateralism, and consensus-driven outcomes,” he added.
Pakistan has been consistent with its anti-India and especially anti-Modi stance since the time Imran Khan took office as the country’s Prime Minister.
It maintains that India’s ideology is being shifted from being secular to what it called an “extremist RSS vision”, which it claims that has made lives of minorities difficult.