Pakistan should end apologetic stance over Kashmir, use diplomacy to revive issue internationally, says Abdul Basit

Islamabad: Pakistan should abandon its apologetic stance and move towards active diplomacy to revive the Kashmir issue at international forums, Islamabad’s former ambassador to India Abdul Basit said. [caption id=“attachment_2168007” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of former Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit. News 18[/caption] The former ambassador made the remarks while addressing journalists at a seminar on Monday titled “Indian Designs to Change Demography of Kashmir — Violation of UN Resolutions and International Law”, organised by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and the Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR), reports Dawn news. Basit said that even though India wanted to start a dialogue with Pakistan, it was not ready to speak about Kashmir. On the other hand, he added, Pakistan believed that Kashmir remained a major bone of contention between the two countries as several wars had been fought over it so far. “We need to make a productive policy as the people of Kashmir are not ready to accept the Indian control. We don’t have to start backdoor diplomacy as it will not be productive,” Dawn news quoted the former envoy as saying. In reply to a question about Pakistan-US relations, Basit said it was a fact that relations between the two countries were marked by contradictions. He said the US wanted Afghanistan to remain in turmoil, which was a challenge for Pakistan. “On the other hand, peace in Pakistan is linked directly to peace in Afghanistan. We need to convince the US media and their think tanks that there is no divergence in interests of Pakistan and the US.”