‘Need to bury the past and move forward’: Pak army chief on Indo-Pak ties

Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has advised India and Pakistan to “bury the past and move forward”, the country’s media reported on Thursday.

Bajwa, who, according to a report in Dawn, was addressing the audience during Islamabad Security Dialogue, noted that stable Indo-Pak relations were the key to unlocking the potential of South and Central Asia by ensuring connectivity between East and West Asia.

“But this potential has always remained hostage to the disputes and issues between the two nuclear neighbours”, he said, according to the report.

“We feel it is time to bury the past and move forward,” he said, adding that the onus for meaningful dialogue rested with India. “Our neighbour will have to create a conducive environment, particularly in Kashmir.”

“The Kashmir issue is obviously at the heart of this. It is important to understand that without the resolution of the Kashmir dispute through peaceful means, the process […] will always remain susceptible to derailment to politically motivated bellicosity.”

Bajwa’s comments come a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that India would have to make the first move to normalise ties with Pakistan.

His comments follow the two countries recently reaffirming their commitment to adhere strictly to a ceasefire along the Line of Control and the International Border.