(Bloomberg) -- India should move toward resolving the contentious issues of the Himalayan Kashmir region, which are key to fixing the broken relations between New Delhi and Islamabad, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan said.
India's decision to end the constitutional autonomy of its portion of the divided region was behind the breakdown of ties between the neighbors, Khan said at the Islamabad Security Dialog Wednesday. India has maintained that Pakistan needs to stop supporting terror groups it alleges have Islamabad's tacit blessings.
“With India, it is very unfortunate that we have tried to resolve our issues through dialog like civilized neighbors, but it has not worked out,” Khan said. “Our only issue is basically over Kashmir.”
The troubled ties between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors hit their lowest point in recent years after a suicide attack in India-controlled Kashmir in February 2019 killed 40 soldiers. India retaliated with air-strikes on alleged terror camps inside Pakistan. The two sides also recalled their envoys after Islamabad protested against India's moves later that year to end seven decades of constitutional autonomy for its Jammu-Kashmir state.
The two nations recently adopted a softer tone. Military commanders on both the sides issued an unusual joint statement last month renewing vows to adhere to a 2003 cease-fire.
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India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla called the move a welcome sign at a speech Monday and added that “India desires good neighborly relations with Pakistan” but Islamabad had to ensure its actions were conducive to dialog.
Khan on Wednesday appeared to indicate that talks on Kashmir could pave the way for a discussion on trade-related issues between the two countries.
“India will also benefit with more trade and connectivity to Central Asia,” he said. “This is the one issue that holds us back.”
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