The next government of Pakistan will wait for India’s seriousness in engagement before moving for a step towards restarting dialogue, said veteran Pakistani diplomat Maleeha Lodhi.
Addressing a hybrid event on the February 8 election in Pakistan, organised by Chatham House of the United Kingdom, Ms. Lodhi who has served as Pakistan’s envoy to the United Nations as well as Islamabad’s ambassador to Washington D.C., said that Pakistan’s relationship with the U.S. will have to find space within the Pakistan-China and India-U.S. relationships.
“Bilateral relations warmed when Nawaz Sharif was last in power. Relationship that Nawaz Sharif forged with Prime Minister Narendra Modi helped in easing tension. But here is a problem, it takes two to tango. We have to see how Delhi reacts to a new government because in recent years Delhi has shown no interest in normalising relation. The challenge has to be how two countries can engage when India refuses to talk about Kashmir. That is not accepted by Pakistan,” Ms. Lodhi said. She accused India of violating multiple UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.
