ISLAMABAD: Former foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri on Thursday stressed the need to ramp up pressure against India in order to resolve the long-standing Kashmir dispute, and maintained that bilateral dialogue between the two countries was the only way forward.

Speaking to DawnNews programme News Wise, Kasuri was of the opinion that India's agreement to conduct dialogue with Pakistan was "just for show for the international community, to show them 'we are very reasonable'."

"India is posturing," he said. "They are not reasonable. It is a challenge for Pakistan's Foreign Office and they should send delegations to main European countries, the US... We should tell them about the human rights situation in Kashmir," Kasuri said.

"I have been foreign minister for five years. I am not stupid to think that the international community will help resolve the Kashmir dispute," he said. "But this does not mean that we sit idle."

"The point is to build pressure on India, not to get the international community to resolve the issue. The only resolution of the issue is to hold bilateral talks," he said.

The former foreign minister rubbished the possibility of another clash between the two countries. "If there was no war in 2001, 2002 when I was foreign minister... How can it be possible now?" he asked.

"If war is not an option, then what can happen? There are two paths. The first is to do nothing. The thing about the Pak-India relationship is that it will never be on an even keel. We don't have the option to not talk. It is only a matter of time before both countries will be compelled to talk," Kasuri opined.

The former diplomat was of the opinion that the government's handling of the portfolio of foreign minister was "a disaster".

"The government should think about appointing a full-time foreign minister," he said. "The prime minister should not hold the portfolio of foreign minister, he doesn't have enough time."

Tensions between Pakistan and India have been running high since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani sparked anti-government protests in IHK, with over 60 people dead in clashes between protesters and Indian authorities.

Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry invited his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar to Pakistan for dialogue on the Kashmir dispute, to which India agreed but only on its own terms.