Featured Time to bury the past and move forward: COAS Bajwa

[SQ8]

Except for the polar opposite of current dispensation that much of the narrative is based against, dealt the most damage to Pakistan.
USA is different beast altogether, it might serve us well to remember which side the US was on before 45...

Different beast or not, the ideology of those in power matters. Be it the Paris climate agreement or peace overtures.

 

[blain2]

And what is this script, do enlighten us.

There is no script except wishful Indian thinking. For Pakistan, it has nothing to lose by offering such openings. Statements like this essentially open doors for talks. Alternatively India has to contend with a two front situation regardless of the posture for domestic consumption there.

 

[MilSpec]

Different beast or not, the ideology of those in power matters. Be it the Paris climate agreement or peace overtures.

And hence, as soon as the current government got elected, the first thing it did was made peace overtures, went as far as to invite Pakistani intel for a joint investigation. Your military ham-fisted those overtures and here we stand today.

I don't think you don't understand the role of Ideology in Global Politics .... ??? anyone with basic knowledge of Global Political history understand the importance of Social and Political Ideologies in Global Politics.

My dear If you want to object on my post and want to criticise my line of thinking then do it but at least on genuine grounds rather to object just for sake of objection ....

Cool, you may be right, I don't understand role of ideology in global politics, afterall I am no Hina Rabbani Khar. As far as Strategic outlook of India what has changed with the change in the political dispensation in India?

Would you rather prefer the opposition in India to come back to power, Congress- the so-called secular party. Which probably dealt 10 times the damage this current dispensation has to Pakistan?

 

[HRK]

Would you rather prefer the opposition in India to come back to power, Congress- the so-called secular party.

Well as a Pakistani , I must say that we must not have any favourite or even preferential actor in Indian Politics ....

But as far as Strategic Outlook is concern I on personal grounds have repeatedly said many times in past would say again that BJP is a MUST CHOICE for Pakistan.

 

[fallstuff]

Time to bury the past and move forward: COAS Bajwa

 

[Xone]

Politics
Secret India-Pakistan Peace Roadmap Brokered by Top UAE Royals
By Sudhi Ranjan Sen March 22, 2021, 9:12 AM GMT+5


About 24 hours after military chiefs from India and Pakistan surprised the world last month with a rare joint commitment to respect a 2003 cease-fire agreement, the top diplomat of the United Arab Emirates popped over to New Delhi for a quick one-day visit.



The official UAE readout of the Feb. 26 meeting gave few clues of what Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed spoke about with Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, noting they “discussed all regional and international issues of common interest and exchanged views on them.”

Yet behind closed doors, the India-Pakistan cease-fire marked a milestone in secret talks brokered by the UAE that began months earlier, according to officials aware of the situation who asked not to be identified. The cease-fire, one said, is only the beginning of a larger roadmap to forge a lasting peace between the neighbors, both of which have nuclear weapons and spar regularly over a decades-old territory dispute.



The next step in the process, the official said, involves both sides reinstating envoys in New Delhi and Islamabad, who were pulled in 2019 after Pakistan protested India’s move to revoke seven decades of autonomy for the disputed Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir. Then comes the hard part: Talks on resuming trade and a lasting resolution on Kashmir, the subject of three wars since India and Pakistan became independent from Britain in 1947.

An Indian Army soldier stands guard near the Line of Control with Pakistan in Kashmir in 2020.
Photographer: Money Sharma/AFP/Getty Images
Over the years, India and Pakistan have routinely made peace overtures only to have them quickly fall through, particularly as both sides frequently use the issue to stir up emotions around election time. Officials said expectations were low that the current detente would achieve much beyond the return of envoys and a resumption of trade through their Punjab land border.

But this process appears to be the most concerted effort in years, and comes as the Biden administration is seeking wider peace talks on Afghanistan -- a place both countries for years have battled for influence. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to shore up growth and focus military resources on the border with China, while Pakistan’s leaders are also facing economic woes and looking to make a good impression with the U.S. and other powers.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry didn’t comment on the talks or the role of the UAE, while the foreign ministries of India and the UAE had no immediate comment.

FOR MORE ON INDIA’S BORDER TENSIONS READ:
India’s Sudden Peace Push With Nuclear Rivals Shows Biden Impact China Gained Ground on India During Bloody Summer in Himalayas First China, Now Pakistan: How India’s Battling on Two Fronts

Last week Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa asked India “to bury the past and move forward” while saying the military was ready to enter talks to resolve “all our outstanding issues.” The comments came a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan after called for a resolution on Kashmir, which he described as “the one issue that holds us back.”

On Saturday, Modi sent a tweet wishing Khan well after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 -- another sign that relations between the countries are getting warmer.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
·
Mar 20

Best wishes to Prime Minister
@ImranKhanPTI
for a speedy recovery from COVID-19.



The UAE, which has historic trade and diplomatic links with India and Pakistan, has taken a more assertive international role under de facto ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The biggest shift has been in the Middle East where the Gulf Arab state has intervened in conflicts and backed groups and regional leaders. But it has also looked to Asia as it strengthens political alliances beyond its role as a global trade and logistics hub.

India-Pakistan ties were effectively cut off two years ago after a suicide attack in India-controlled Kashmir killed 40 Indian soldiers, prompting Modi’s government to authorize air strikes on alleged terror facilities inside Pakistan. The joint statement last month said the two sides “agreed to address each other’s core issues,” signaling a wider discussion on Kashmir and terrorism.

Indian security forces inspect the remains of a vehicle following an attack on a paramilitary force convoy in Kashmir on February 14, 2019.
Photographer: STR/AFP/Getty Images
Several clues over the past few months pointed at the UAE’s role. In November, Jaishankar met bin Zayed and the crown prince on a two-day visit to Abu Dhabi, followed by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi the following month. Roughly two weeks before the Feb. 25 announcement, the UAE foreign minister held a phone call with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan “wherein they discussed regional and international issues of interest.” And just days before, India allowed Khan’s aircraft to fly over Indian airspace as he headed to Sri Lanka for a state visit -- a practice suspended since the 2019 hostilities.

After the cease-fire, the UAE was one of a handful of countries to issue a statement welcoming the cease-fire announcement, highlighting the “close historical ties” it has with both India and Pakistan and hailing “the efforts made by both countries to come to this agreement.” In Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price dodged a question on what role the U.S. played in bringing the two sides together while urging Pakistan to play a constructive role in Afghanistan, Kashmir and other places.

“Obviously Pakistan has an important role to play when it comes to Afghanistan and what takes place across its other border,” Price said on Feb. 25. “So clearly, we will be paying close attention.”

— With assistance by Sylvia Westall, and Faseeh Mangi

Secret India-Pakistan Peace Roadmap Brokered by Top UAE Royals

About 24 hours after military chiefs from India and Pakistan surprised the world last month with a rare joint commitment to respect a 2003 cease-fire agreement, the top diplomat of the United Arab Emirates popped over to New Delhi for a quick one-day visit.

www.bloomberg.com

 

[padamchen]

Such naivete... such euphoria...
Rashtra egging on pseudo history and Indian vedic grandstanding will not just melt away by cajoling, kowtowing and appeasement. The majoritarian dream and imperial state of India and it's behavior are resultant factors, ones deeply embedded in the state psyche. One where a tamil has no connection with a Kashmiri except for an imperial project.
The Indian mindset has been carefully crafted to a narrative that establishes Pakistan as a breakaway region of grand India, which then assumes other regions subsequently. This mindset does not accept why parting Brits broke away their empire or colony, it instead owns the British conquest and empire as a mere stepping stone to some bygone glory, something to impress upon.

Here is the difference between the eye of sheep and a carnivore sizing it's prey and poised to pounce. Except, India has never been an animal of prey, they crafted it, imported the instinct. It is no wonder that India has ever expanded '47 onwards and Pakistan only receded.

It's in the eye!

Don't diss the Brits.

Were it not for them, India would have been a Hindu rashtra 300 years earlier.

The Brits gave you hope.

Breathing space.

A line behind which to fortify and arm.

And something to hold on to to show for a thousand years of effort.

Never diss the Brits.

@Indus Pakistan @El Sidd (when you're back) @Cliftonite (if you're back) @Baibars_1260 @AgNoStiC MuSliM @waz @masterchief_mirza @-=virus=- @Markandeya @gulli @Srinivas @Chhatrapati @Jackdaws @Skull and Bones @T90TankGuy @Protest_again @VkdIndian @lightoftruth

Cheers, Doc

 

[gulli]

Don't diss the Brits.

Were it not for them, India would have been a Hindu rashtra 300 years earlier.

The Brits gave you hope.

Breathing space.

A line behind which to fortify and arm.

And something to hold on to to show for a thousand years of effort.

Never diss the Brits.

@Indus Pakistan @El Sidd (when you're back) @Cliftonite (if you're back) @Baibars_1260 @AgNoStiC MuSliM @waz @masterchief_mirza @-=virus=- @Markandeya @gulli @Srinivas @Chhatrapati @Jackdaws @Skull and Bones @T90TankGuy @Protest_again @VkdIndian @lightoftruth

Cheers, Doc

They have there fancy n fantasy history sugarcoated specifically for them. Applying same logic Pakistan still has a potential to be broken into 5 different states. There are no similarity between Sindhi Pakthuni Punjabi balochi n Kashmiri n allot more different ethnicity.

 

[padamchen]

They have there fancy n fantasy history sugarcoated specifically for them. Applying same logic Pakistan still has a potential to be broken into 5 different states. There are no similarity between Sindhi Pakthuni Punjabi balochi n Kashmiri n allot more different ethnicity.

If you go by that ethnic historical perspective, Pakistan is a curious contruct of the conquered (Punjabis) now lording it over their ex masters (the Pashtun).

But since it's all Muslim, it shouldn't bother us. It's their cat to bell.

@Indus Pakistan @DESERT FIGHTER @Maarkhoor @lastofthepatriots @AgNoStiC MuSliM @SQ8 @waz @masterchief_mirza @Cliftonite @El Sidd @Baibars_1260 @OldenWisdom...قول بزرگ @Hakikat ve Hikmet

Cheers, Doc

 

[gulli]

If you go by that ethnic historical perspective, Pakistan is a curious contruct of the conquered (Punjabis) now lording it over their ex masters (the Pashtun).

But since it's all Muslim, it shouldn't bother us. It's their cat to bell.

Cheers, Doc

They want India to be divided on the basis of race and call themselves least racist nation on Earth . On topic: Mr Bajwa seems to be a nice guy who knows natural development of Pakistan is linked with that of India and if peace is attained Pakistan as a nation will prosper. Our religion may differ but culture is still same.

 

[Mirza Jatt]

It is a very sensible gesture from Pakistan. Basically it cannot be said in a manner more clear that Pakistan now is back on Musharraf's track. A clear hint to make LOC the permanent border.i.e status quo. A very nice gesture that needs to be appreciated. But sadly this was possible when Congress was in power in India. They were really keen on solving this. But in BJP rule, simply forget it. BJP before coming to power has a clear election agenda of first secure Indian part of Kashmir via 370 and 35a and then go for Azad Kashmir. Unfortunately whether we like this or not BJP ok don't seem to go from power for a very long time to come. Also unfortunately they are a very smartly operated party even kn a global standard. So in short we should forget any resolution of Kashmir. Bajwa and Imran knows this very well it seems hence the softening of stand. Oh btw anyone who says it's just a show off gesture to win international community, tryst me this is well fathomed and also well prepared for by the BJP think tanks how to handle this. God save the region.

 

[padamchen]

They want India to be divided on the basis of race and call themselves least racist nation on Earth . On topic: Mr Bajwa seems to be a nice guy who knows natural development of Pakistan is linked with that of India and if peace is attained Pakistan as a nation will prosper. Our religion may differ but culture is still same.

Yup. Hope something positive comes from these talks.

You and I will agree that except for the hardcore religious angle there is no real bloodlust animus between our people.

Maybe for some sections yes. But we are a continent, and I'm talking about the vast majority of our 1.4 billion.

Cheers, Doc

 

[AWAITED1]

If India joins cpec and trade corridor it will make this region economic gravity center of world earlier than the predicted timeline and will help India too yo bring prosperity to the class living under poverty line. But preliminary action should be reversing status of kashmir. Not friendly but even neutral ties with Pakistan will hurt right wing Indian voter's sentiment and will result in early ousted Modi by one way or other. I think it's Pakistan's diplomatic master stroke

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Thursday that lasting peace in the sub-continent will remain elusive until the resolution of the Kashmir issue, stressing that it was time for India and Pakistan to "bury the past and move forward".

Addressing the audience on day two of 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."

See: Full text of Gen Bajwa's speech at the Islamabad Security Dialogue

"We feel it is time to bury the past and move forward," he said, adding that the onus for meaningful dialogue rested with India. "Our neighbour will have to create a conducive environment, particularly in occupied Kashmir."

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.

The prime minister, however, did not elaborate what he expected India to do as the first step to resumption of ties.

'Multi-dimensional challenges'
Commenting on national security challenges, the army chief said: "The world has seen the ravages of the world wars and the Cold War, wherein polarisation and neglect of virtues blighted the future and brought catastrophic consequences for humanity.

"Today the leading drivers of change in the world are demography, economy and technology.

"However, one issue that remains central to this concept is economic security and cooperation. Frayed relations between various powers centres of the globe and boomeranging of competing alliances can bring nothing but another stint of Cold War."

History has taught us that the way ahead has always been through an inter-connected, inter-dependent and collective sense of security, he said,

The army chief added that it was naive to apply the failed solution of yesteryears to the challenges of today and tomorrow. "It is important for the world that leading global players must reach a stable equilibrium through convergence instead of divergence."

In this environment, developing countries like Pakistan face multi-dimensional challenges which cannot be be navigated single-handedly, he said, adding that a similar situation was being faced by other countries in the region.

"Therefore, we all require multi-lateral, global and regional approach and cooperation to overcome these challenges."

'Disputes dragging South Asia back into poverty'
The COAS also stated that unsettled issues in South Asia are dragging the entire region back into poverty and underdevelopment.

"It is sad to know that even today it [South Asia] is amongst the least integrated regions of the world in terms of trade, infrastructure, water and energy cooperation.

"On top of it, despite being impoverished, we end up spending a lot of our money on defence, which naturally comes at the expense of human development."

He also noted that "despite rising security challenges, Pakistan has been one of the few [countries] that has resisted the temptation of involving itself in an arms race", citing a decrease in the country's defence expenditure.

"This has not been easy, especially when you live in a hostile and unstable neighbourhood. But having said that, let me say that we are ready to improve our environment by resolving all our outstanding issues with our neighbours through dialogue in a dignified and peaceful manner," he said.

The army chief stated that this was "deliberate and based on rationality" and not as a result of any "pressure".

"We have learned from the past and are willing to move ahead towards a new future. However, this is contingent on reciprocity."

He said that Pakistan intended to leverage its geo-strategic location for its own regional and global benefit.

Afghan peace process
The army chief also praised Pakistan for its "robust role" in the current quest for peace in Afghanistan and said that it was proof of the country's "good will and understanding of global and moral obligations".

Commenting on the historic peace deal between the United States and Taliban, Bajwa attributed it to Pakistan's close collaboration and support for the peace process which paved the way for intra-Afghan dialogue.

In addition to offering support to the Afghan peace process, Pakistan also took unprecedented steps to enhance Kabul's trade and connectivity, the army chief said.

Pakistan's economic potential
The army chief also said that Pakistan was a country with "tremendous" economic potential, adding that it was important for the country to embark on a solid roadmap to carve a promising future for the people.

He maintained that the geo-economic region was centered around four main pillars: moving towards lasting and enduring peace within and outside, non-interference of any kind in the affairs of our neighbours and regional countries, boosting intra-regional trade and connectivity, bringing sustainable development and prosperity through establishment of investment and economic hubs.

Pakistan has been working towards all four aspects, he said. "We had realised that unless our own house was in order, nothing could be expected from the outside."

He said that after combatting terrorism and extremism, Pakistan had moved towards working on sustainable development and improving the economic condition of underdeveloped areas.

Gen Bajwa noted that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had been at the heart of Pakistan's economic transformation plan and the country had sought to make the project inclusive, transparent and attractive for all global and regional players.

But "while CPEC remains central to our vision, only seeing Pakistan through [the] CPEC prism is also misleading", the army chief stressed.

He said Pakistan's vital geostrategic location and a transformed vision made it a country of immense and diverse potential which could very positively contribute to regional development and prosperity.

"This vision, however, remains incomplete without a stable and peaceful South Asia," he said, adding that Pakistan's efforts for reviving Saarc and for peace in Afghanistan, and its "responsible and mature behaviour in crisis situation with India" manifested its desire to "change the narrative of geo-political contestation into geo-economic integration".

The COAS emphasised: "It is time that we in South Asia create synergy through connectivity, peaceful co-existence and resource sharing to fight hunger, illiteracy and disease instead of fighting each other."

National security
Congratulating the National Security Division on organising the dialogue, Bajwa stated that the contemporary concept of national security was not just about protecting countries from an external and internal threat.

It is also about providing a conducive environment for ensuring human security, national progress and development, he said.

"Surely, it is not solely the function of the armed forces anymore," he said, adding that national security in the age of globalisation, information and connectivity had become an "all encompassing notion".

"National security is thus multi-layered. The outer layer being the exogenous factors of the global and regional environment, and the internal layers being indigenous factors of internal peace, stability and developmental orientation.

"A nation at peace and a region at harmony are thus essential pre-requisites for attaining national security in the true spirit."

Whether it be extremism, human rights, environmental hazards or the pandemic, "responding in silos is no more an option", he said.
Time to bury the past and move forward: COAS Bajwa on Indo-Pak ties

Read More at: https://www.dawn.com/news/1613200/time-to-bury-the-past-and-move-forward-coas-bajwa-on-indo-pak-ties
---------
While Pak Civil-military have extended a hand towards India to resolve the issue, there remain certain questions which should be answered,
1 - Is India interested in dialogue with Pakistan, keeping in view that Pakistan has been unable to change the status quo after 1948.
2 - Indian current stance is that there shouldn't be any dialogue on Indian held Kashmir, how would Pakistan expect to start dialogue when there is no discussion on Indian held Kashmir?
3 - What if India proposes to convert LOC into a permanent border and terms it the only condition of peace with Pakistan. What would be Pakistan's stance on that?

 

[Sine Nomine]

Don't diss the Brits.

Were it not for them, India would have been a Hindu rashtra 300 years earlier.

The Brits gave you hope.

Breathing space.

A line behind which to fortify and arm.

And something to hold on to to show for a thousand years of effort.

Never diss the Brits.

@Indus Pakistan @El Sidd (when you're back) @Cliftonite (if you're back) @Baibars_1260 @AgNoStiC MuSliM @waz @masterchief_mirza @-=virus=- @Markandeya @gulli @Srinivas @Chhatrapati @Jackdaws @Skull and Bones @T90TankGuy @Protest_again @VkdIndian @lightoftruth

Cheers, Doc

Off course it would have been if likes of Tipu and Abdali wouldn't have been around.

 

[padamchen]

It is a very sensible gesture from Pakistan. Basically it cannot be said in a manner more clear that Pakistan now is back on Musharraf's track. A clear hint to make LOC the permanent border.i.e status quo. A very nice gesture that needs to be appreciated. But sadly this was possible when Congress was in power in India. They were really keen on solving this. But in BJP rule, simply forget it. BJP before coming to power has a clear election agenda of first secure Indian part of Kashmir via 370 and 35a and then go for Azad Kashmir. Unfortunately whether we like this or not BJP ok don't seem to go from power for a very long time to come. Also unfortunately they are a very smartly operated party even kn a global standard. So in short we should forget any resolution of Kashmir. Bajwa and Imran knows this very well it seems hence the softening of stand. Oh btw anyone who says it's just a show off gesture to win international community, tryst me this is well fathomed and also well prepared for by the BJP think tanks how to handle this. God save the region.

You are correctly saying what I said many posts ago.

We need to brace for impact.

Cheers, Doc