ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said Pakistan could make a “grand gesture” to India on its terrorism concerns, but that was contingent upon appropriate reciprocation by New Delhi.

“There can be a grand gesture, but there has to be a response from India,” he told a delegation of Indian journalists who had come to Pakistan to cover the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor. The prime minister was asked if Pakistan could attend to India’s terrorism-related worries.

India has been holding up bilateral dialogue because of what it alleges terrorism emanating from Pakistani soil. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj reiterated Indian concerns on the day Pakistan inaugurated work on the construction of the Kartarpur corridor, which had created hopes of forward movement in fractured ties between the two countries. “Terror and talks cannot go together. The moment Pakistan stops terrorist activities in India, the dialogue can start. Dialogue is not only connected with Kartarpur,” she had told journalists in India.

Besides not agreeing to resume bilateral dialogue, India has said it would not attend a Saarc summit in Islamabad as long as the terrorism issue is not dealt with. Saarc summits cannot take place even if one of the member states of the South Asian alliance refuses to attend. Indian refusal has, therefore, practically suspended the working of Saarc as heads of states and governments of member countries, who hold the supreme authority in the functioning of the bloc, have not been able to meet for the last over two years.

Not-so-hopeful Imran says Pakistan can wait till coming Indian election for normalisation of ties

Mr Khan told the Indian journalists — some of whom later talked to Dawn — that it was not in Pakistan’s interest to allow its soil to be used for terrorism against any other country and reminded them that there was national consensus in the country against terrorism in the shape of the National Action Plan.

Pushed to comment on Hafiz Saeed’s issue, the prime minister said, “There is a clampdown on him”. However, he avoided further comments by saying it was a matter involving courts.

Although PM Khan expressed willingness to talk to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi “at any time”, he did not look very optimistic about an imminent breakthrough.

PM Khan said Pakistan could wait till after the completion of India’s coming elections next year for progress towards normalisation of the relations. “India, we believe, will have to respond once the elections are over,” he said and reaffirmed his government’s resolve to continue with its attempts to improve relations with India.

He, however, cautioned that Pakistan’s move to open the Kartarpur corridor should not be seen as its desperation for peace.

The prime minister, while touching upon the Kashmir issue, said New Delhi should not deal with it as a “territorial matter”.

The Kashmir movement, he stressed, could not be suppressed through use of force. Therefore, he suggested to India to look for options other than military solution. He also called for an end to human rights violations in India-held Kashmir.

Solutions to problems like Kashmir, Mr Khan said, could be found when the two countries sat and talked.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2018