RAWALPINDI: President Ayub Khan declared yesterday [Aug 14] that if India were to base her relations with Pakistan on reason and rationalism only then the two countries could coexist to the advantage of both.

Answering a question on relations with India during his TV interview, the President said “the whole basis of Indian thinking is not realistic, is not rational and is wasteful. They are really destroying themselves, and in the process, destroying us too.”

“All the energies and resources,” he said, “are being utilised on futile ventures on military build-up, this, that and the other. There is no necessity for this. No sane man in Pakistan wants other than peace with India. But on an honourable basis.”

He regretted that so far Pakistan’s hope that India would agree to live with us on the basis of mutual respect and cooperation has been falsified.

The President said the Indian leaders don’t want “to see a focus of Muslim Power next door to them. They would like to see a weak Pakistan, if at all they want to see it as a separate entity, only in an emaciated form, not a strong Pakistan, although it is in their interest.

“Today their foreign policy’s aim should be how to patch up with Pakistan. Because then they can develop their full power free from all worries,” he said.

The President described “all this talk about fear from China” as “nonsense”. He said the Chinese have no intentions of getting into a broil in this vast sub-continent, with teeming millions of people and why should they.

President Ayub said Pakistan is pursuing a foreign policy which suits its interests and promotes its objectives of security and economic development. He said our first priority is the security of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2017