Sounding upbeat about the “positive trajectory” on which India-Pakistan relations are currently traversing, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Sunday said, Islamabad was willing to bend backwards to improve relations with its neighbours.
The ‘Thimphu spirit' has given way to 'Addu hope,' she told the media; refusing to read too much negative meaning into Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks to the Indian media contingent while returning from the 17th SAARC Summit in Maldives.
Asked to comment on Dr. Singh's remarks that he would visit Pakistan only if there was forward movement on the Mumbai terror attack case, and that another such strike would be a setback to the accident-prone Indo-Pak relationship, Ms. Khar preferred to go by what he said in Addu in front of domestic and international media.
“Some statements are made for domestic consumption, but we also heard what he said before the international media. Prime Minister Singh was exceptionally positive. We have managed to create the space we needed to pursue issues meaningfully,” she said.
Of the view that the two countries had done a reasonably good job in achieving the goals set by the two Prime Ministers at Thimphu in April 2010 — reduce trust deficit and create an atmosphere conducive for dialogue — Ms. Khar said: “Addu onwards trust deficit is zero or it has shrunk to a large extent and now we need to start building on the trust. We have invested far too much in seeking out hostility towards each other and too less in seeking out peace with each other. I told the Indian Foreign Minister that I am competing with you on positivity.”
Kashmir issue
Though the Minister flagged the Kashmir issue — stating that till it was resolved the relationship would run the risk of being accident-prone — she said, “Pakistan does not want to remain hostage to disputes. We want to resolve issues and don't want to be pulled backwards.”
