Mushahid meets RCDS delegation, says 'Pakistan welcomes good ties with Modi's India on basis of equality, reciprocity & resolution of conflicts; had Palestine been resolved there would have been no 9/11'

Date : 27-05-2014

Islamabad: A high-level visiting delegation of the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) called on the Chairman, Senate Defence Committee, Senator Mushahid Hussain, at the Parliament House. The 16-member delegation was led by the RCDS Commandant, Lt General Sir David Bill.

During the 90-minute session, which included an animated question and answer session, Senator Mushahid Hussain, said that after the injection of the nuclear factor in South Asia, there was a new balance in Pakistan-India relations, and Pakistan was willing to do business with Modi's India, based on equality, reciprocity and peaceful resolution of conflicts like Kashmir, Siachen and the waters issue. He said the main issue was that India had not displayed large-heartedness in relations with smaller neighbours.

Senator Mushahid Hussain said the new government of India under Prime Minister Modi had the opportunity to reverse wrongs by joining in the Iran-Pakistan pipeline by making it the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline, which would mean both countries having a strategic stake in each other's stability and progress.

He also called for a Pakistan-India dialogue on Afghanistan to prevent recurrence of any new proxy conflict that would be destabilising for the region.

Regarding conflicts in the Muslim World, Senator Mushahid Hussain Hussain said there could be no lasting peace without a resolution of Kashmir and Palestine, adding 'had there been a just settlement of the Palestine question, there would have been no 9/11'.

Senator Dr Saeeda Iqbal and Senator Rafiq Rajwana were also present on the occasion and presented their perspectives on education and judiciary respectively.

Sir David Bill thanked Senator Mushahid Hussain for organising such an informative interaction, focusing on defence and regional security issues plus candid comments on the evolution of Pakistan's politics. He praised Pakistani peoples sacrifices in the war on terror and the resilience and warm hospitality of Pakistanis.