Pak ex-envoy to India Abdul Basit for third-party mediation

New Delhi, August 13

Former Pakistani Ambassador to India Abdul Basit on Friday suggested that “third-party” mediation was needed between India and Pakistan as the bilateral efforts have not yielded results the two countries aspire.

He was speaking at a webinar organised by the New Delhi-based Global Counter Terrorism Council on the subject “India-Pakistan: Is there a way forward?”

Basit says in Pakistan there is thought to resile from the Simla agreement (signed in 1972) as it serves no purpose.

Former Indian Ambassador to Pakistan TCA Raghavan said doing away with Simla agreement would not address core issue that was the deep-rooted ideological difference.

Lt Gen KJ Singh (retd), former Western Army Commander, said, “Abrogating the Simla agreement would be inopportune. It will result in calling off the Indus water treaty.” — TNS