MOSCOW: At the end of the first day of Soviet-Pakistan talks President Ayub Khan declared that the Kashmir dispute is a source of serious tension in South Asia and remains the main stumbling block in the way of good-neighbourly relations between Pakistan and India.

The Pakistan President who was speaking tonight [Sept 25] at a dinner given in his honour by the Soviet Government at the Kremlin Palace said that “indiscriminate increase in armaments and the growing military imbalance in the sub-continent is also a danger to peace”.

Expressing Pakistan’s appreciation of the Soviet Government’s initiative at Tashkent last year, President Ayub said, “We must say that our expectations have not so far materialised”. He said that Pakistan remains ready and willing to negotiate with India on all issues in the spirit of Tashkent Declaration.

Warning of the danger of escalation of nuclear arms race and India’s nuclear ambitions President Ayub stated that the interests of all nations “demand that the emergence of a sixth nuclear Power should be prevented under all circumstances and that a non-proliferation treaty be concluded without delay”.

Referring to the identical views between the Soviet Union and Pakistan, President Ayub declared that “in recent months Israel’s aggression against its Arab neighbours had once again demonstrated how fragile the fabric of international peace is. It was natural that both our countries happen to be aware of the crises which beset the Near East”. — Correspondent

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2017