ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s High Commissioner to New Delhi Abdul Basit has said that Pakistan was not begging for dialogue. “If India is not ready, we can always wait,” he said in an interview with an Indian newspaper.
Discussing the increasing hostility between Pakistan and India, Abdul Basit, highlighting the need to break the impasse between the two countries, said, “Talking to each other is inevitable. Whether it happens one year down the road or three years down the road.”
The interview took place at a time when Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz is due to lead a delegation at the Heart of Asia conference being held in Amritsar this Sunday.
There has been speculation as to whether Pakistan and India will hold talks on the sidelines of the conference that focus on increasing cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbours.
Speaking in relation to the possibility of such talks being held during the interview, Abdul Basit said Pakistan “remains open to any proposal for talks from the Indian side”, and added that during the conference, attention must remain on Afghanistan. “Whether or not there are bilateral talks, our adviser is coming because Afghanistan is important for us, its stability and economy is important for us, so we will participate constructively,” he said.
