Pakistan Army chief calls for peace with India; Imran Khan refuses to take first step [details]

Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa has advocated for peace with India. On Thursday, Bajwa said that India and Pakistan should move forward by burying the past. However, The Pakistani army chief reiterated its agenda on Kashmir and said that lasting peace cannot be established in the Indian subcontinent until the Kashmir issue is resolved.

General Bajwa said, "The Kashmir issue is obviously at the heart of disputes. It is important to understand that without the resolution of Kashmir dispute through peaceful means, [the] process of sub-continental rapprochement will always remain susceptible to derailment due to politically motivated bellicosity."

Addressing the Islamabad Security Dialogue, General Bajwa also added that with the stabilization of Indo-Pak relations, connectivity between East and West Asia will be ensured. A healthy relation with India will also unlock the potential of South and Central Asia. Bajwa also added that this capability has always been hostage due to disputes and unresolved issues between neighbors armed with two nuclear weapons.

Imran also talked about peace

The statement of Bajwa about peace has come at a time when Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that India would have to take the first step to normalize relations with Pakistan. Imran said that we are trying to improve relations with India. But India will have to take the first step.

It is pertinent to note that Pak Prime Minister Khan and General Bajwa did not explain the minimum measures that India should take, many Pakistani analysts claim that some constructive actions in Kashmir could alleviate pressure on the Pakistani government before talks or usual diplomatic relations are resumed.

Last month, India announced that it wants normal neighborly relations with Pakistan in a free of fear, aggression, and violent climate. According to India's official statement, it is Pakistan's duty to establish an atmosphere free of terror and hostility.

Relations between India and Pakistan have deteriorated after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by Pakistan-based terror groups. The relationship deteriorated further as a result of successive attacks, including one on an Indian Army camp in Uri. Moreover, the killing of 40 CRPF personnel in Pulwama and India's aerial strike in Balakot further strained the relation between the two countries.