WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has ruled out any outside role in the Kashmir dispute but has emphasised the need for other nations to play a role in stabilising Pakistan.
In an interview with Indian journalist Lalit K. Jha, Mr Obama also advised India to liberalise economy, noting that New Delhi prohibited foreign investment in too many sectors.
His remarks riled the Indian opposition, which rejected the suggestion as ‘laughable’ and urged the Indian government not to accept his advice.
Mr Obama welcomed the Indo-Pakistan dialogue process and urged the two neighbours to work together to find a solution to a dispute that had already caused three wars between them.
“It is not the place of any nation, including the United States, to try to impose solutions from the outside,” said Mr Obama,
apparently endorsing the Indian position that it would not accept any outside role in settling this issue.
“That said, nations must meet their responsibilities and all of us have a profound interest in a Pakistan that is stable, prosperous and democratic,” said the US president, leaving open the possibility of involving India in bringing stability to Pakistan.
Mr Jha, the only Indian journalist ever to have interviewed a US president twice, told Dawn that Mr Obama made it clear the best way forward for the two countries was to keep talking to each other.
Mr Obama told him that lessening of tensions between India and Pakistan would not only be good for South Asia but also for the rest of the world.
“President (Asif Ali) Zardari’s visit to India was encouraging. Increased trade and people-to-people contacts between Indians and Pakistanis can lead to greater prosperity and understanding on both sides,” said Mr Obama.
“Efforts in New Delhi and Islamabad to improve relations give hope for further progress, including a possible visit to Pakistan by Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh,” he said.
Mr Obama, however, did not say if he planned to fulfil his promise to visit Pakistan.
Another cause of concern for Pakistan was Mr Obama’s warm welcome to India’s growing role in Afghanistan.
“India will be critical to Afghanistan’s future,” he said, noting that India was already playing a major role in helping Afghanistan.
India, he said, had made generous contributions to Afghanistan’s progress, helping to train Afghan police, promoting development and in improving the lives of ordinary Afghans.
India was the first nation to forge a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Afghanistan, he noted, adding that India’s civil service could be a model as Afghans strengthened their own governance and institutions.
India hosted an international investment conference on Afghanistan last month and Mr Obama said that by doing so, New Delhi had shown its readiness to champion Kabul’s economic development.
Mr Obama said the United States and its Nato allies had chalked out, at the Chicago summit earlier this year, a clear path for bringing the Afghan war to an end.
By mid-2013, Afghan forces would lead combat operations and coalition forces would have shifted from combat to a supporting role across the country, he said, hoping that this would allow a steady withdrawal of US and Nato troops from Afghanistan.
“By the end of 2014, the transition to Afghan lead for security will be complete so that Afghans can take responsibility for their own country,” said Mr Obama. “After 2014, Nato will continue to train, advise and assist and support Afghan forces as they grow stronger.”
Sea change in
atmospherics with India: Pak envoy
NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s new envoy in India Salman Bashir sees a sea
change in the atmospherics with India and he told an Indian news channel on
Sunday that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s likely visit to Islamabad would not
only cement the ties but take them substantially forward.“I think the atmospherics have witnessed a sea change,” Mr Bashir told TV anchor Karan Thapar a day after presenting his credentials to Indian President Pratibha Patil.
“Let me say that it was in Thimpu when both our prime ministers met and had a plus one-hour conversation and then later they called us and briefed us. And it was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who said that we should invest in building trusts by having frequent visits, exchanges at all levels. I think that is happening and that is huge in terms of where we were.”
Mr Bashir reiterated Pakistan’s offer to help India with a joint probe into the Abu Jindal affair but described as incredible the Indian suggestion that the alleged Mumbai terror mastermind was helped in any way by Pakistani officials in plotting the outrage.
“As I said if our own army headquarters are attacked, if ISI offices are attacked then I think it is really unbelievable, incredible to allege that Pakistani state, institutes have been involved in this. We ought to look at the situation very objectively in our respect of national interests,” Mr Bashir said.
Pakistan was very serious about speeding up the stalled trial of the existing suspects in the Mumbai attack “and anything that has got to do with terror”. On the last count a court had intervened to set free a detained suspect. “And as you know Pakistan has a very independent judiciary, number one. Number two, I think, I ought to mention, you know, if we get to cooperate like this particular issue at least 25 plus documents have been exchanged by both sides, 12 dossiers from India, 13 from Pakistan. That’s the real stuff
that is how we should proceed.
Now judiciary has its own parameters and the fact is that the prosecution that is the government has done its best and will continue to persist to ensure that justice finally prevails.”
He said while the courts could be tardy investigating agencies were not always sprinting.“The point is that some of these things like the Samjhauta thing that took place in 2007 is yet under investigation. And I think we ought to look at the spirit, we ought to be fixated on the objects that we need to achieve and not get into forensics of a particular situation.”
Mr Bashir played down the importance of any specific model for the India-Pakistan dialogue to pursue.
“You mentioned India-China model, there is also the Pakistan-China model, there is also the China-Japan model, you know we have models in the present day and age. I think the world has changed, changing fast, the region is changing fast. There are lot of opportunities between Pakistan and India.”
Responding to a question that many Indians looked at the recent joint statement issued by the foreign secretaries and saw Kashmir was point number six under terror. Did it indicate that both countries are learning to handle Kashmir with less acrimony and more
accommodation? “I agree with you, I think yes,” Mr Bashir replied.
On the Indian prime minister’s possible visit, widely seen as likely this year, he said: “I certainly agree that a visit by the Prime Minister of India would go a long way in not only cementing, but also taking the relationship forward.”
Bannu old city
police station attacked
BANNU: Unknown armed men have
attacked the old city police station in Bannu Monday morning, Geo News
reported.
According to police, miscreants have attacked the old city
police station with hand grenades and firing while five gunmen have also
entered the police station building.
The area is of high importance as the investigating officers
and their offices are situated in the same area.
Police have cordoned off the area and Army help has been
sought.
Firing continued until the last report was filed.
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