Amid rising tensions in India Parker, Pakistan said on Tuesday that regional stability requires a “reliable minimum deterrence” and warned that instability would have “more dangerous” consequences.
Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Advisor, said the need for strategic stability is an important aspect of Pakistan-India relations.
“As instability has greater dangerous consequences, a reliable minimum deterrence is needed,” he said of an international conference on strengthening peace and cooperation in South Asia: Incentives and constraints organized by the Islamabad Institute for Policy Studies.
Mr. Aziz claimed that Pakistan is maintaining a “minimum nuclear deterrence” of peace and stability in the region and called on the international community to stop policies and actions that undermine the strategic stability of South Asia.
He said the supply of weapons systems has expanded existing conventional functions in the region.
Mr. Aziz regrets that the world has not yet fully recognized the dangers posed to peace and stability in the region.
On Kashmir, Pakistan Radio quoted Mr Aziz as saying: “India is responding to the indigenous struggle of Kashmir people because they deny the right to self-determination through denial and fantasy.”
He criticized India for calling the “Kashmir struggle” terrorism and declared Jamu and Kashmir an integral part.
Kashmir said: “India must understand ground reality and recognize the indigenous nature of the right to the right to the self-determination movement.”
Mr Aziz said that in negotiations with India, Pakistan will continue to seek normalization of relations and promote steps that will pave the way for a resolution of all lingering disputes, including the core disputes in Jamu and Kashmir.
Regarding the NSG issue, Mr. Aziz called for a standard-based non-discriminatory approach against members of the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) and asserted that otherwise it would affect the strategic stability of the region.
He said that NSG member applications in Pakistan should be evaluated based on fair standards.
publishing – November 22, 2016 at 5:10 pm IST
