LAHORE: Former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday said the time is ripe for arch-rivals India and Pakistan to build friendly relations on an equal footing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to take oath for a historic third term in New Delhi on Sunday.
“Khan and former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa were in favour of friendly ties with India,” said Chaudhry, who was once close to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. The 48-year-old, who quit Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in 2023, was speaking at a seminar titled “Indian Elections and Their Implications for South Asia” organised by the National Institute of Political Education here.
Noting that the Indian state of Punjab is just a few kilometers away, but Pakistanis have to fly through Dubai to get there, Chaudhry said, “There is no need for visas between the two countries. It is time for the two arch enemies to discuss friendship on an equal footing.”Chaudhry warned that India and Pakistan would face serious water problems in the Indus basin over the next 15 years, and so the two countries must talk. “If cooperation does not materialize on water issues, the region could become unstable,” he said.
The ideological gulf between the extreme policies of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), points to an imminent collapse of the coalition government, he said, adding: “This instability suggests the BJP may not complete its term in office, which could see (Indian National Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi become the next prime minister of India.”
Published June 8, 2024 15:50 IST
