ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said Sunday that India is using Afghan soil to carry out attacks on Pakistan, however, adding that Indian involvement had decreased since the adoption of a joint Pak-Afghan policy to not to let their soils be used against each other.
He was speaking on DawnNews program ‘Faisla Awam Ka’.
Responding to a question on the Kashmir issue, the adviser said that since the formation of the Modi government, the Indian stance on the matter was 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, adding that India wanted resumption of dialogue on its own terms and conditions which were not acceptable to Pakistan.
Aziz said Pakistan still wanted to establish better ties with India, adding 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 had 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.
Responding to a question on extremism, Aziz said that Pakistan’s policy to tackle the scourge of extremism and militancy was clear, adding that there would be no differentiation between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Taliban.
The adviser said that after the Dec 16 deadly attack on Peshawar’s Army Public School, the country’s civil and military leadership were on the same page.
He also said that Afghan forces would 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 Ashraf Ghani’s government in Afghanistan would be responsible for controlling the situation on their soil. “Pakistan cannot be at peace while there is unrest in Afghanistan,” he said.
