KARACHI: Pakistan desires peace and stability in South Asia and wants ceasefire with India to continue. Unlike India that called it a temporary ceasefire, Pakistan never resorted to war rhetoric after ceasefire.
Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said this on Friday while addressing American thinktank Atlantic Council.
He said resolutions of the United Nations lied at the heart of the conflict between Pakistan and India. The UN resolutions acknowledged the right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people but India usurped that right and tried to change the demographics of Kashmir in contravention of the international law, he added.
He thanked US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for helping the tensions between Pakistan and India de-escalate and brokering ceasefire.
The US can play a constructive and stabilising role in Pak-India relations, Dar said and asserted that Pakistan did not seek conflict with neighbours and desired connectivity.
He underscored the importance of US engagement, counter-terrorism operations and diplomacy, and announced that a trade deal with the US could be reached in days.
The foreign minister informed the think tank that Pakistan and US were working together to address each others’ concerns and the dialogues between the two countries spanned security, energy, technology, industry, counter-terrorism and regional peace.
Highlighting the trade relations between Pakistan and the US, he said the US was the single largest destination of Pakistani exports, and Pakistan was the second largest buyer of US cotton contributing to the well-being of US farmers.
He said Pakistan was working to provide greater market access to US products. He added that Pakistan was blessed with mineral resources, including rare-earth minerals, and a free trade agreement between Pakistan and the US would be a game changer.
“The world is changing at a rapid pace. Old certainties are giving way to new realities,” Dar said, adding that climate, technology and politics were converging.
He mentioned that Pakistan was a nuclear power, the fifth most populous country in the world and a peace-loving nation.
He informed the think tank about measures being taken to improve Pakistan’s economy. The Pakistani government was committed to human development, he said, adding that the government was also committed to the rule of law, freedom of expression and pluralism, which were the values it shared with the Americans.
He recalled that in his address to Congress, US President Trump recognised Pakistan’s role against terrorism.
He said that in the present day, US-China relations were most consequential as their conflict could prove disastrous for the entire world and their cooperation could bring welfare to many people.
Dar said Pakistan hoped to see friendly relations between US and China. He added that a stable Afghanistan was in Pakistan’s interest but terrorist activities from Afghan soil concerned Pakistan.
He mentioned that signing of Trans-Afghan railway project on July 17 showed Aghan government’s trust in Pakistan. He urged the interim Afghan government to fulfil its anti-terror commitments.
Dar lamented over 58,000 deaths in Gaza and stated that Pakistan called for durable peace and rebuilding of Gaza. A two-state solution was the only solution that guaranteed lasting peace, he asserted.
On Iran, he said, Pakistan called for dialogue and diplomacy.
“Pakistan seeks peace with dignity,” said Dar in his concluding remarks.
