Pakistan, according to Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, is willing to walk the “proverbial extra mile” with India in pursuit of peace, but for this the two countries need to return to the negotiating table with the political will to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir, peacefully and in accordance with international law and morality.
Mr. Qureshi was addressing a three-day international workshop on “Indian Military's Cold Start Doctrine and its Implications for Strategic Stability of South Asia” here on Wednesday.
Referring to the meeting last week with his Indian counterpart, S.M. Krishna, Mr. Qureshi said Pakistan's efforts to recommence the stalled dialogue in pursuit of “our” endeavours for durable peace in the region did not draw a “corresponding positive response.”
However, the Minister maintained that the two countries should work together to institute a sustained dialogue for peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia. “We should not remain hostage to our troubled past. We must rise to the occasion and take bold decisions to lead our people to a more hopeful and promising future.”
3-pronged approach
Of the view that neither peace nor stability can be achieved in isolation, Mr. Qureshi pointed out the need for strong partnerships, and to “walk the talk on the high road to peace and equal security for all the partners.” Pakistan, he said, had been pursuing a three-pronged approach with India for durable peace and strategic stability in the region: peaceful resolution of all outstanding disputes, including J&K, strategic restraint and conventional balance, and close cooperation for the socio-economic development and welfare of the people of both countries.
Averring that it was India which made the region a nuclear zone, Mr. Qureshi asserted that Pakistan's response was not motivated by ambitions for regional dominance or great power status but to restore the strategic balance and deter aggression against “our political independence and territorial integrity.”
About India's Cold Start Doctrine, the Minister said it betrayed a strong streak of recklessness. “It is hard to imagine that any rational mind could come up with such dangerous ideas. The deterrence theory has withstood intense rivalry between two super powers throughout the Cold War period. One wonders if anyone is now willing to undertake an adventure beyond deterrence.”
Drawing attention to the nuclear and conventional Confidence Building Measures the countries have agreed to in the past, the Minister stressed the need to go beyond risk reduction measures and work towards measures aimed at restraint and avoidance of an arms race in the region. “The Lahore agreement of 1999 provides the suitable framework to pursue broader CBMs in nuclear and conventional fields, as well as to engage in bilateral consultations on security concepts.”
