ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will carry a bag full of evidences to convince President Bararck Obama that India not Pakistan was a threat to the regional peace when he meets the US leader at the Oval Office on October 22, official sources said yesterday.
“We don’t want to engage in any blame game but since India is not responding positively to our proposals for peace, we also need to tell the US leadership what they (India) have been doing to destabilise us,” a senior official at the foreign ministry told The Nation.
He added, “Despite solid evidences of Indian involvement in Balochistan and FATA (Federally Administrated Tribal Areas), Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif preferred to talk of peace. He gave proposals for improving ties rather than turning all the guns at India.”
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly last Wednesday, Prime Minister Sharif had proposed a four-point “new peace initiative” including demilitarizing Kashmir and Siachen, and formalizing the 2003 ceasefire, describing these as the “simplest” measures to implement towards peace between the two countries. The premier said, it had been his endeavour after coming to power to build bridges with India.
He said, “Dialogue, not disengagement” was the need of the hour, and “co-operation, not confrontation” should define the relationship between the two countries.
India’s top diplomat Sushma Swaraj responded, “Pakistan’s PM gave four pointers. I should tell him that they are redundant. Only one pointer is important — give up terror.” The reply was disappointing for many in Pakistan including Prime Minister Sharif.
The foreign ministry official said, since the Sharif-Obama meeting was aimed at discussing the regional situation, “we will share whatever we have with the US President.”
“We are optimistic President Obama will serve as a neutral umpire and ask India to behave sensibly. We do not want tension. It is not in anyone’s favour,” he remarked. On Sunday, Information Minister Pervez Rashid said, Pakistan had presented a practicable roadmap at the UNGA to resolve issues with India.
He maintained that the four-point initiative presented by the prime minister during his speech at the UNGA was according to the international laws, which has also been welcomed by the world.
Rashid said that Sharif delineated concrete measures, which can take Pakistan and India towards peace for betterment of their peoples.
He asserted that Pakistan's stance on Kashmir remains unchanged and support for the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination has been a key feature of the foreign policy.
Rashid added Pakistan has always emphatically raised the Kashmir issue at all international forums for resolution of the long-standing dispute.
Former foreign minister Sardar Asif Ahmed Ali, commenting on the Pak-India ties, said, “India is in no mood to negotiate with Pakistan and resolve the outstanding issues between the two countries.”
“India has just been playing point scoring games. India only wants to declare Pakistan a terrorist state in the world.”
Ali said, Pakistan should hand over the evidence of Indian involvement in terrorist activities in Pakistan to the US President and leaders of other countries as well.
Analyst Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal observed, “The four-point formula for peace with India proposed by the PM covers all the important issues which are vital for peace in the region.”
He said that India has refused to accept the proposals and wants to impose its supremacy in the region.
“Pakistan has suggested to increase the number of military observers. India is not serious in elimination of terrorism because India itself has been involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan,” he said.
He added, “The international community should take notice of India’s refusal to the four-point formula. Army Chief (Raheel Sharif) has also declared the Kashmir dispute as core issue in the region that needs to be resolved at the earliest.” Jaspal said that India wants to pressurize its neighbouring countries but it should keep in mind that “Pakistan is a nuclear power.”
International Relations expert Dr Pervez Iqbal Cheema commented, “India has been involved in efforts to declare Pakistan a terrorist state at the international level. India is in a state of frustration because Pakistan has strong evidence of Indian involvement in terrorist activities in Pakistan.”