October 20, 2013
AP
File photo Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The U.S. and Pakistan
recently announced the restart of their "strategic dialogue" after a
long pause.
The Pakistan Prime Minister will also raise the issue of US drone strikes during his meeting with US. President.
Ahead of his meeting with President Barack Obama, Pakistan Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday sought US intervention in resolving the
Kashmir issue.
“Though India did not want such (third party) intervention, but the
world powers should get involved to resolve the (Kashmir) issue,” he
told reporters in London during a stopover while on his way to US
wherein he will meet Mr. Obama on Wednesday.
“India and Pakistan both were nuclear powers and the region was a
nuclear flash point,” state-run APP news agency quoted the prime
minister as saying.
Replying to a query on Kashmir, Mr. Sharif said during his US visit in
July 1999 amid Kargil conflict, he had clearly told then President Bill
Clinton that if the US intervened, Kashmir issue could be resolved.
“I told him if he spends 10 per cent of the time he was spending on
Middle East, the Kashmir issue between two countries would resolve,” he
said, adding that President Clinton promised, but then things changed.
Even though Pakistan is keen that US intervenes, Washington has
repeatedly said that India and Pakistan should determine the “pace,
scope and character” of their dialogue.
Mr. Sharif said for the last 60 years both sides were entangled in an
arms race. “The situation can become dangerous. India has nuclear bomb,
so do we; India develops missiles, so do we. There should be a limit to
it. We all should think about it,” he was quoted as saying.
The Prime Minister also said he will raise the issue of US drone strikes during his meeting with Mr. Obama.
“Pakistan raised its concern in UNGA meeting, and the world appreciated
it. Again in my official visit to US I will reiterate the same message,”
he said.
Key bilateral issues besides the Afghan drawdown and Indo-Pak ties are
likely to be discussed during his keenly awaited meeting with Mr. Obama.
This will be the first bilateral official visit of the Prime Minister to the US in his present term.
It is also the first official visit of a Pakistani Prime Minister to the
US in 5 years. Sharif had visited New York last month but it was for
the UN General Assembly.
India rejects Sharif’s demand for US intervention on Kashmir
Rejecting Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s demand
for US intervention in resolving the Kashmir issue, External Affairs
Minister Salman Khurshid on Sunday said India will not accept this as
the matter is a bilateral one agreed to between the two nations.
He
expressed concern over repeated ceasefire violations at the Line of
Control and hoped these do not result in any more casualties. He,
however, rejected suggestions that these have led to a collapse of the
truce between the two neighbours.
Mr. Khurshid also
said that any US economic aid to Pakistan must not be used in a manner
that is detrimental to India’s security and strategic interests and
hoped that Washington will keep that in mind as a “good strategic
partner."
“There is no way in which India will accept
any intervention on an issue that is entirely accepted in the Simla
Agreement as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan,” he told
NDTV.
He said Kashmir is an integral part of India
and no one should raise a question on that. “It is a waste of time for
anybody no matter how eminent to be even trying to question it,” he
said.
On whether the ceasefire has collapsed, he
said, “I don’t think that is true. There are many violations. It is a
large number of small armed fires. It is unacceptable and certainly
counter—productive. But I don’t think we can at this point say that
ceasefire has collapsed. That would not be a correct assessment of the
situation.
On US economic aid to Pakistan, Mr.
Khurshid said, “I hope this is done keeping India’s interests in mind as
United States always assures us.”
Ahead of his meeting with President Barack Obama, Mr. Sharif on Sunday sought US intervention in resolving the Kashmir issue.
“Though
India did not want such (third party) intervention, but the world
powers should get involved to resolve the (Kashmir) issue,” he told
reporters in London during a stopover while on his way to US wherein he
will meet Mr. Obama on Wednesday.
“India and Pakistan both were nuclear powers and the region was a nuclear flash point,” he said.
