ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz said that Kashmir tops list of outstanding issues with India and Pakistan and there will be no dialogue unless the Kashmir issue is on agenda.
Addressing a press conference regarding Prime Minister’s visit to Ufa, Sartaj Aziz said the July 10th meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not the formal start of any dialogue process but it served an important purpose to achieve an understanding that both neighbors must reduce tensions and hostility in order to constructively engage in a structured dialogue on all issues of bilateral and regional interest, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said that the statement issued after the meeting clearly recognizes that "India and Pakistan have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and promote development. To do so, they are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues".
“And we all know which those outstanding issues are. Kashmir, of course, tops the list of outstanding issues, but there are also other important issues like Siachen, Sir Creek, Interference and Water. Kashmiris have suffered for three generations now,” he added.
Sartaj Aziz said that Pakistan has stood by the Kashmiris in their legitimate struggle and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif affirmed the country’s principled position in clear and unequivocal terms during his annual speech at the UN General Assembly.
“We would continue to extend political, moral, and diplomatic support to our Kashmiri brethren,” he said.
The adviser said that the meeting provided an opportunity to identify some areas where the two countries could promote cooperation right away in order to reduce tensions and hostility.
The adviser added that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also sought information on the progress made on the trial of Samjhauta express terrorist incident.
As the end, he said that Pakistan’s reach out to neighbors and constructive engagement with the rest of the world is predicated on the country's firm commitment to protect security and promote national interests.