Pakistan Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua has said that Islamabad would continue with its efforts for peace in its neighbourhood despite New Delhi’s negative attitude.
Speaking on Tuesday at a conference on “Conflict and Cooperation in South Asia: Role of Major Powers” hosted by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), Janjua stated: “We are convinced that we will continue to try for peace and stability in the region,” Dawn news reported.
Referring to India’s approach on ties with Pakistan, Janjua said that New Delhi was “spinning hatred” and perpetuating “dynamic rivalry”.
This, she maintained, was not only unhelpful for improving Pakistan-India ties, but was also stopping South Asia from making progress and attaining peace.
The Foreign Secretary recalled that India, by refusing to attend SAARC summit in Islamabad, was holding the regional body’s summit process “hostage”.
About the new government’s policy on India, Janjua spoke of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s first nationwide address after elections in which he had offered to take two steps for every single step that India would take for normalisation of ties with Pakistan.
She said Khan in his letter to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi later expressed willingness to discuss all issues that were part of the ‘Composite Dialogue’.
“Unfortunately we haven’t seen the kind of reciprocation that was required,” Dawn news quoted Janjua as saying.
The Foreign Secretary also criticised New Delhi for “spending massively on force modernisation” and questioned the support being extended to it by the world powers in its acquisition of weapons.
“Recently held India-US 2+2 dialogue provides India access to advanced and sensitive US military hardware, technology and weaponry,” Janjua said while taking a jab at Russia for signing a deal for provision of advanced S-400 air defence system to India.
“This would undermine the delicate strategic balance in the region and beyond,” she said.
Contending that Pakistan’s foreign policy has been successful, Janjua said it was proven by the successful counter-terrorism operations, the progress achieved by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the emerging consensus on seeking a peaceful resolution of the Afghan conflict.