Kashmir central to any talks with India: PM’s aide

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan stood firmly for peace and would welcome any dialogue with India if the lives of Kashmiris were normalised, they were recognised as the rightful principal party in any talks and India stopped sponsoring terrorism against Pakistan, said Dr Moeed Yusuf, the PM’s aide on national security, as he outlined pre-conditions for any negotiations.

In the first interview by a senior Pakistani official to an Indian news outlet since India’s illegal actions on 5th August 2019, Dr Yusuf stressed New Delhi must release all political prisoners in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), lift the military siege, reverse the domicile bill and stop all human rights violations against Kashmiris for any dialogue. He said New Delhi’s draconian policies towards Kashmiris have made talks impossible.

Talking to India’s renowned journalist Karan Thapar on Tuesday, the PM’s aide emphasised that Kashmiris remain the principal party in the dispute according to Pakistan and their wishes and aspirations should be addressed in any dialogue. He reiterated Prime Minister Imran Khan’s stance that if India took one step forward, Pakistan would take two steps forward.

The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Security reminded Indian audiences that today, even pro-India Kashmiri politicians have publicly admitted that no one in IIOJK was willing to live under Indian occupation anymore.

Drawing a contrast between Pakistan and India, Dr Yusuf said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government is dedicated to pursuing economic security and connectivity for the prosperity of Pakistan and the region, but policymakers in New Delhi remained blindsighted by Hindutva ideology.

He said India has lost the neighbourhood because of the expansionist policies of the BJP government, while Pakistan is pursuing peace in its neighbourhood.

Responding to Indian allegations about terrorism, Dr Yusuf said Pakistan had facilitated investigations in all cases pending in courts but India is delaying the investigations by not providing evidence in the case. He said not finding a resolution to terror cases helped India in its false narrative of terrorism.

The PM’s aide called out India for being unable to bring the perpetrators of the Samjhauta and Babri Masjid cases, Malegaon blast case and others to justice while it accused Pakistan of delays which spoke to double standards.

Taking an aggressive approach towards Indian sponsored terrorism in Pakistan, he revealed new details about millions of dollars in payments made to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leadership by a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer through Indian embassy funds.

He said Pakistan knew the names and ranks of officers in touch with terror leadership and would soon reveal Indian activities to the world through a detailed dossier based on lengthy investigations.

He also disclosed that India had financed anti-Pakistan terrorist groups and supported their merger with the TTP earlier this year. For the first time, Dr Yusuf also blamed India for sponsoring the heinous Army Public School (APS) attack in which over 100 innocent children lost their lives, saying that Pakistan had records of eight phone calls made from India to TTP commander before the attack.

He added that Indian intelligence handlers based in a neighbouring country had directed the attacks on the Chinese consulate in Karachi, Pearl Continental Hotel in Gwadar and Pakistan Stock Exchange attack in the last two years.

He also revealed how Balochistan Liberation Army terrorists were receiving treatment in a hospital in New Delhi.

Debunking latest propaganda by India on Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir issue, Dr Yusuf said Pakistan stood by United Nations Security Council resolutions as the way forward for resolving the dispute and fulfilling the aspirations of over eight million Kashmiris.

He said Indian propaganda would not shake the principled stance of Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. The SAPM said Prime Minister Khan had directed his office to open space for the government in the region and find solutions to lingering problems, but his counterpart in India is pursuing an opposite direction.

He highlighted that Pakistan stands for peace and would welcome any dialogue with India if the lives of Kashmiris in IIOJK are normalised, Kashmiris are recognised as the rightful principal party in any dialogue, and India stops sponsoring terrorism against Pakistan.

He also pointed to Pakistan’s response on February 27, 2019 and warned that any misadventure from India would result in an equally swift response from Pakistan.