WEB DESK
Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa today said that it was time for India and Pakistan to “bury the past and move forward”.
He however said that lasting peace in the sub-continent will remain elusive until the resolution of the Kashmir issue
Addressing the first-ever Islamabad Security Dialogue, Gen Bajwa noted that stable Indo-Pak relations were the key to unlocking the potential of South and Central Asia by ensuring connectivity between East and West Asia.
But this potential has always remained hostage to the disputes and issues between the two “nuclear neighbours”, he said.
“The Kashmir issue is obviously at the heart of this. It is important to understand that without the resolution of Kashmir dispute through peaceful means, (the) process of sub-continental rapprochement will always remain susceptible to derailment due to politically motivated bellicosity”, he said.
Bajwa’s comments come a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan said that India would have to make the first move to normalise ties with Pakistan.
“We are trying, but India would have to take the first step and unless it does that we cannot move ahead,” the prime minister had said while inaugurating the two-day dialogue.