J&K dispute must be resolved: Basit

Outgoing Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit on Saturday said a dialogue between India and Pakistan was a “pre-requisite” and a “necessity” to mend relations between the neighbours, which might require “give and take” from both sides.

Mr. Basit punctuated his pitch for dialogue with his advocacy for “self-determination” of the Kashmiri populace. The Jammu and Kashmir dispute must be resolved for any real progress, he said.

“Both the countries need to decide that they need to be engaged...as was decided at Sharm El Sheikh, where we took a considered decision to separate talks from terrorism. We should not be hostage to forces that do not want progress,” he said.

Mr. Basit made the remarks at an event, likely to be his last public engagement in New Delhi before demitting office, organised by the ‘South Asia Forum for Art and Creative Heritage.

“Engagement is the key. Talks may not produce immediate results,” he said, adding “compromises always involve give and take”, when asked if Pakistan was ready to make certain concessions.

The Indo-Pak. peace process came to an abrupt halt after the Pathankot attack in 2016.