ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The prime minister’s adviser on national security and foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz has said that India is using the Afghan soil to carry out attacks on Pakistan.
In an interview on DawnNews program ‘Faisla Awam Ka’, he however said that the Indian involvement has decreased since the adoption of a joint Pak-Afghan policy to not to let their soils be used against each other.
The adviser said that since the formation of the Narendra Modi’s government in New Delhi, the Indian stance on the Kashmir issue has been non-cooperative.
“The stance of the previous governments in India was subtle, but the Modi-led government said that if Pakistan is to maintain good ties with India, then it should compromise on Kashmir,” he said.
Sartaj Aziz said that India wants resumption of dialogue on its own terms and conditions which are not acceptable to Pakistan.
The premier’s adviser said that Pakistan still wants to establish better ties with India. He said that when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) came into power following the May 2013 elections, national security and better relations with neighbouring countries were foremost on the government’s agenda.
The adviser admitted that Pakistan’s previously formulated strategies on national security have not been effective.
“To maintain sovereignty and national security, the present government has decided not to interfere in other countries’ internal matters; instead Pakistan looks forward to establishing better relations with others,” he said.
In addition, he said that the Afghan forces will carry out operations against extremists operating from the Afghan soil.
“There has been a paradigm shift in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s policies, and it has been decided to monitor the movement of extremists along the border and stop their activities,” the adviser said.
Sartaj said that the Afghan government led by President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai will be responsible for controlling the situation on their soil.
“Pakistan cannot be at peace while there is unrest in Afghanistan,” he added.
