ISLAMABAD:The foreign policy experts on Tuesday underscored the importance of normal bilateral relations between Pakistan and India, provided that the Kashmir dispute is resolved, meanwhile discussing different avenues of cooperation particularly medical, agriculture and motor industry to strengthen the economic ties between the countries.
The experts explored new avenues of cooperation in the South Asian region in a roundtable discussion “South Asia: Peaceful Coexistence through Economic Cooperation” organized by Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI).
Director ISC, Dr. Arshad Ali said that India as the largest country by size, economy undermined regional integration as it acted as a hegemony in the region.
“Non-traditional security threats are looming over South Asia like climate change, food and water security. As these issues are transnational, therefore, there is a need to adopt a cohesive regional approach to tackle with them,” he pointed out.
While speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Riaz Mohammad Khan, expressed his firm belief that cooperation among neighboring countries was always beneficial, and added that Kashmir was the major dispute between the two countries.
During the course of the roundtable discussion, numerous ideas were floated where India and Pakistan could cooperate to bring normalcy to their relationship, with all stressing first to resolve the Kashmir dispute and giving the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir the right for self-determination according to the United Nations’ resolutions.
It was suggested that religious tourism could be one option to increase people-to-people contact.
The role of SAARC in regional integration was also discussed at length.
It was observed with great disappointment that due to the uneasy relationship between India and Pakistan, SAARC too had been rendered dysfunctional.