LAHORE: South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an apex body in the region Sunday hailed Pakistan’s new national security policy seeking peace with India for the next 100 years’.
President SAARC Chamber Iftikhar Ali Malik while commenting said peace with India and its immediate neighbors is central theme of Pakistan’s first-ever National Security Policy (NSP) unveiled by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
He said it stressed that normalizing commercial relations is contingent upon achieving progress in talks between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
“NSP further explains as “We are not seeking hostility with India for the next 100 years. The new policy seeks peace with immediate neighbors,” who is associated with the development”.
Malik, an octogenarian veteran trade leader of the South Asia said “neighbors can’t be changed” and urged both India and Pakistan its high time to address all their core issues amicably through peaceful result oriented parley”.
He said if world’s oldest disputes can be resolved why not both nuclear neighbors can’t iron out their differences mutually.
He said South Asia housed one fifth of the total world population and its share in international trade is hardly five percent. He said if both countries reach an agreement with consensus then all indigenous resources could be diverted to development and welfare of the people of either sides besides durable peace in the region.
He said population explosion and hefty defence allocations are devouring the indigenous resources rather than spending on development and greater weal of down trodden of their respective countries.
