ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani has expressed the hope that ties between India and Pakistan would become normal ultimately.

“It appears that (Indian) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is pursuing an internal agenda,” he said. “However, in regional politics one cannot change one’s neighbours.”

Mr Rabbani was talking to a 12-member delegation of journalists from Srinagar which called on him at Parliament House here on Monday. Deputy Chairman of Senate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri was present on the occasion.

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Mr Rabbani said Islamabad had always gone the extra mile for holding a meaningful dialogue with India and always desired a working relationship with it but the sentiments had not been reciprocated by the other side. He said if the Berlin Wall issue and more recently the conflict between Iran and the West could be resolved, how was it possible that the Kashmir issue would remain unresolved forever.

He said one of the reasons for delay in the resolution of the Kashmir issue was the policy of the West which wavered (on the issue) because of its global interests. He said the trend was also visible in the case of Afghanistan and the Middle East.

On human rights violations in India-held Kashmir, the Senate chairman said not a single day passed without violation of rights of the Kashmiri people, but not a whimper could be heard in the western capitals.

“Pakistan has not shifted its focus from the Kashmir issue. We will use every international forum to highlight the plight of the Kashmiri people,” he said.

Maulana Haideri said there could be no peace in the region without resolution of the Kashmir issue. He said there used to be an exchange of parliamentary delegations between India and Pakistan and expressed the hope that it would be revived.

The first delegation of journalists from Srinagar to visit Islamabad has already met Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah, Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majid and other leaders.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2015

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