Islamabad: Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Sunday said that Pakistan cannot "conquer Kashmir through war" and the only option the country is left with is dialogue.
"I believe that Pakistan cannot conquer Kashmir through war and if we cannot do that, the option we are left with is dialogue, and dialogue can only proceed with a partner with which we have normal relations and a certain level of mutual trust," Khar said in an interview to Geo News.
"The issues between the two countries cannot be resolved in a hostile environment," she added.
Khar, who served as Pakistan's Foreign minister from 2011 to 2013, said that the Kashmir issue can be resolved "if we continue to talk on the issue, then we will reach somewhere".
She said that the PPP government that ruled Pakistan from 2008-13, of which she was a part of, tried its best to normalise ties with India through relaxation of visa rules and by normalising trade ties.
Commenting on military's influence on Pakistan's foreign policy, Khar said that it is a diplomat's job to carry forward the military's perspective on issues where the military is a relevant stakeholder. She said that some people believe that the issue can only be resolved "if there is a BJP government in India and a military government in Pakistan".
On rising warmth in India-US ties, Khar said, “Now let us ask ourselves. Is US moving towards India because India is a nuclear state, or because it is a military power? No! It is people’s power and their democratic traditions, if we want to compete, let’s compete on these grounds.”
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