Bring trust deficit levels down to zero, says Pakistan PM
New Delhi : Expressing satisfaction at the pace of the ongoing dialogue, visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Tuesday hoped that the trust deficit between his country and India would come down to zero.
"There is more interaction, the level of comfort is higher, disputes are being talked about and people are travelling more frequently," Aziz, trying to sound optimistic about the future of bilateral relations, told a meeting of editors on the sidelines of the 14th SAARC Summit that he is attending.
"It will take time to lower trust deficit levels but we have to make efforts," Aziz said, adding: "Difference of opinion is not an unhealthy characteristic".
"We have to bequeath to our next generation a safer South Asia and a stronger relationship between India and Pakistan so that both can benefit," he said.
Aziz pointed out India and Pakistan were committed to better ties and every meeting between them was part of the peace process.
He added that bilateral relations were much more cordial than they were a few years back.
Having refrained from mentioning the Kashmir dispute in his address to the summit but only obliquely referring to it, Aziz maintained that from his country's perspective it was a "key dispute" and said dispute resolution was important for a sustainable and expanded relationship between New Delhi and Islamabad.
"From Pakistan's perspective, Kashmir is a key dispute which we want settled in line with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people."
"Kashmir is a core issue. People may not like us to say this. But that is the reality," Aziz said.
"Pakistan and India are engaged in a multifaceted peace process. Talks are on at every level, some public and some not so public. However, the focus should be less on the process and more on the end result," he said.
Before his arrival to Delhi, Aziz had harped on the resolution of the Kashmir issue, which he said was a "must" for SAARC to realise its full potential.
"SAARC has a lot of potential. But dispute resolution, particularly the Kashmir issue and peace and harmony, was a must to realise this potential," he had said.
Addressing the 14th Summit of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Aziz unveiled a five-point roadmap for the region that would help the member states leverage their strengths and help overcome their limitations.
He attributed the slow progress made by the SAARC to the political environment that has remained vitiated by disputes and mistrust.
"We must have runs on the table," he said using a cricket metaphor, though he hastened to add that, "cricket is not a good analogy these days" (in the light of the disastrous showing by both Pakistan and India in the World Cup).
"We have remained mired in conflict management. The consequent drain on our energies has held us back from achieving the goals that we have set for ourselves in the SAARC Charter," Aziz added.
