Basit also accused the media and other quarters in India for creating an artificial barrier by raising issues of whom to talk to in Pakistan in the wake of multiple power centres.
Two days ahead of his departure after completing his stint as Pakistan High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit on Saturday offered an "uninterrupted and an uninterruptible" dialogue to address all bilateral issues between India and Pakistan. Repeatedly urging to create an atmosphere to discuss difficult issues, he said the matters important for India, right from investigations into Pathankot attack to Kulbhushan Jadhav, could be addressed in a process of engagement. Without elaborating, he said compromises involve a formula of "give and take".
"Dialogue process could have helped us (Pakistan) in the investigations into Pathankot," he said at a farewell speech in New Delhi, organised at the India International Centre (IIC). Participating in a discussion in his last public engagement, Basit lamented that during his tenure both sides weren't able to have a trajectory to put dialogues on the rail. Calling for courage on the part of leaders to improve the situation and be ready to deal with difficult issues like Jammu and Kashmir, he said lingering disputes have a tendency to aggravate problems.
"Let us commit to not disrupt engagements to hold talks on incidents of terrorism. We should not hold ourselves hostage to the forces, who are out to disrupt talks through acts of violence," he said.
Basit also accused the media and other quarters in India for creating an artificial barrier by raising issues of whom to talk to in Pakistan in the wake of multiple power centres. "We have a legitimate government in Pakistan. This debate is used some time to create artificial barriers and make an excuse to walk away from a dialogue," he said.
On a question on allowing the economy to take precedence over political issues, the Pakistan envoy pointed out the need for a comprehensive approach. The economic relations are hit by roadblocks like visa issues, banking facilities, etc. "If we were to engage comprehensively, the improvement in economic relations will create an atmosphere to discuss other difficult issues," he said.
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