Pakistan armed forces' media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations' (ISPR) former Director General, Major General Athar Abbas (retd) on Sunday said that dialogue with India, on levels other than the security establishment, is "a need of Pakistan", media reports said.
He made the remarks during a panel discussion - titled 'Search for peace and security among neighbours' - on the final day of the 14th Karachi Literature Festival, Dawn reported.
Abbas said: "Dialogue is, at present, a need of our country... The way forward is not just the state apparatus, because if you leave it (solely) to the security establishment, there will be no move forward. It will be like taking one step forward and two steps backwards.
"There has to be an initiative... like track II diplomacy, like media, like business and trade organisations, like academia... and they can interact and create their space within Indian society, etc.
"That builds pressure on the (Indian) government (and) state authorities that they must look into what the people are saying. This is a requirement of time that dialogue is a need of Pakistan."
If met with resistance, he said that Pakistan could also involve "external actors" such as the US and the European Union.
Asked how soon he saw any talks with the neighbours taking place, Gen Abbas said: "You cannot change your neighbour. Eventually, they will have to come to a negotiating table ... even if it feels it is a great power," Dawn reported.
The former DG ISPR remarked that instability in Pakistan would also spill over into India and vice versa, and that "we should not only wait for the establishment" and look towards other options as well.
Gujarat: BJP’s Satish Patel dedicates Manjalpur bypoll victory to late Yogesh Patel
Newly elected Manjalpur MLA Satish Patel on Monday dedicated his victory in the Gujarat Assembly by-election to the late BJP leader and former minister Yogesh Patel, saying he would carry forward the work undertaken by his predecessor after securing a comfortable win in the constituency.
PK wins Bankipur, ends BJP's dominance; Samrat Choudhary congratulates him
Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor has registered a major victory in the Bankipur Assembly by-election, defeating BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha by a margin of 18,963 votes and breaking the BJP’s long-standing dominance over the constituency.
ANDPL to rejuvenate 40,000 trees within Dharavi, build 3.3-km Mithi River riverfront
In a bid to give residents better access to green public spaces, the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) will place the rejuvenation of the Mithi River at the centre of a new green-blue network — designed to improve the environment and create healthier spaces across one of Mumbai’s most densely-populated neighbourhoods, it was announced on Monday.
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat to interact with Gen Z in Mumbai on Aug 6
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat is scheduled to interact with representatives of Generation Z and Generation Alpha on August 6 in Mumbai.
Two women among eight militants arrested in Manipur, arms and drugs seized
Eight militants, including two women cadres, belonging to different banned insurgent outfits were arrested and arms, ammunition and other incriminating materials recovered in separate joint security force operations across Manipur during the past 24 hours, officials said on Monday.
Tribal Welfare Minister orders probe into alleged irregularities at Ambedkar Girls' Hostel
Minister for Tribal Welfare, Bikash Debbarma, on Monday ordered a detailed inquiry into allegations of irregularities in the supply of food items at the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Memorial Girls' Hostel located on Jagannath Bari Road in Agartala.
Assam villages devastated by flood might have to be rebuilt: Sarma
Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Monday indicated that the state government may have to rebuild entire villages devastated by the recent floods in Upper Assam, saying the scale of destruction in Sivasagar and Charaideo districts has gone far beyond what can be addressed through immediate relief measures.
Pakistan: Death toll in Swat police station suicide attack rises to 17
The death toll from the suicide bombing at Kabal Police Station in Swat district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has risen to 17 after two more injured police personnel succumbed to their injuries, local media reported on Monday.