"Dialogue With India Will Be Top Priority With My Government"

People in Pakistan seem to be quite happy about your call for better ties with India. The main issue seems to be Kashmir. Do you think some official or non-official negotiations can begin?
Why not? We are 47 years late, and we can’t afford any further delay. We have to talk. We have to sit at one table. Unfortunately, after I left, no one from either side had any meetings or discussions. I had a very good rapport with Narasimha Rao when he was prime minister, and he was very receptive. I hope both Pakistan and India will once again have the opportunity to start talks at the political level.

During your election campaign, your emphasis was mostly on economic development. Don’t you think closer economic and trade ties between India and Pakistan would be mutually beneficial?
Yes. And we can save a lot of foreign exchange by dealing with each other or establishing bilateral trade. But I think it is very important that the leadership in both countries carry the people with them. Public opinion should be mobilised. And for that, we should first start talking on bilateral issues and then try and establish trade ties.

In the prevailing political situation, will you have the flexibility to take these steps?
If I can say this before the elections it means that this is a part of our election manifesto. We have told the people of Pakistan before the elections that this is what we want, this is what we will do when we come to power.

When you say that a dialogue between India and Pakistan should start at the political level, are you talking about the prime ministerial level?
Yes, subsequently, yes. Why not? But initially we want talks at the foreign secretary, foreign minister and then the prime ministerial level.

As prime minister of Pakistan, your hands will be full with domestic problems. How are you going to place the normalisation of relations with India on your agenda? Would you agree to the Indian suggestion to set aside more contentious issues for the time being to resolve the less contentious ones?
If we start talking, we are bound to arrive at some kind of understanding. The foremost thing is that we must establish a rapport at the political level. The two prime ministers must have some understanding. I wish Benazir Bhutto had met Rao and taken the process forward. Unfortunately she did not do that. And she failed to attend the SAARC summit in Delhi. That was not a very good decision.

What is the SAARC’s role?
We must use the SAARC platform more effectively, even to improve bilateral ties.

A Herald poll showed that one in four Pakistanis feels that there will be war with India.
I have no fear that there will ever be a war with India. Why should we have a war with India?

For the first time, the Army is playing a legal role in the government. And the people are wondering whether the prime minister’s wings will be clipped.
The new Parliament will debate and discuss this issue, and will try and see if it is necessary to retain the Council for Defence and National Security.

In the past, most prime ministers who sought to make positive overtures towards India came under pressure from the hawks. You have been described as being soft on India during your campaign. You countered by saying you are only being realistic. Do you think given the political situation, this realism will last?
I think we can now stop playing to the gallery. It is now time to become more realistic, more responsible. One should direct affairs like a statesman, and adopt a more realistic approach towards these issues, and not make India an election issue all the time.

What is your impression of H.D. Deve Gowda?
I think he is a gentleman. I think well of him.

And I.K. Gujral?
He has a very positive approach바카라 웹사이트 towards Pakistan-India relations, which is a very good thing.

After India got a role in the peace process in Afghanistan, Benazir did not send her representative to Iran. Do you think India has a role in the Afghanistan affair?
If India has any role in Afghanistan, I hope it will be the same as ours. India should try and use its influence to get all the factions around one table to try and resolve the issue. This is what we have done in the past. When I was prime minister, in March 1993, I got all seven of them at one table in Islamabad. They stayed for seven days. We worked day and night, talked day and night. And then finally there was a consensus among them. And as a result of that consensus, Rabbani was appointed the president, Hekmatyar the prime minister. Today, if a new arrangement is to be arrived at, it must be done without any loss of time. If India can help, it would be very good.

With Kashmir still a problem, can economic ties improve?
We should prepare to solve the Kashmir problem through a dialogue, agree to at least sit down and talk and then trade can start. There will be a lot of problems if we begin trading first and the Kashmir issue is pushed into the background. We want the dialogue to be initiated so that we can simultaneously do the other things.

When will you start the dialogue with India?
On coming to power, that will be the top priority of my government.