Ahead of the Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level talks next month, Indian envoy here today said his country will discuss Kashmir which is under the illegal occupation of Pakistan.
Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan T C A Raghavan, while giving a lecture here, gave a historical perspective of the Kashmir dispute.
"The first application to the UN was moved by India and it was on the grounds that a part of the state, which had acceded to India, is now under the illegal occupation of the Pakistan Army," Raghavan said.
"So when you say what is it that India is going to discuss or what is it discussing, it is really, if you ask most Indians, and what is our position -- it is the part of that state which is still under the control of Pakistan," he said during the lecture at the Centre for Security Studies, a private think-tank in the capital.
In the broader sense, he said Kashmir will be part of talks with Pakistan.
Raghavan's remarks came just days after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's visit here during which she called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and met Pakistan Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz.
After the meetings, the two countries decided to re-engage under the 'Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue'.
The Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and India will meet next month in Delhi to work out the details of the dialogue.
On a question about alleged Indian 'spy' arrested in
Pakistan on charges of terrorism, Zakaria said investigations are still going on regarding Kulbhushan Jadhav and some arrests were already made as a result of interrogation.
"As investigations continue more aspects related to this may come to light," he said.
He said Pakistan expects that its neighbour would respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity by refraining from any interference or subversive activities.
The recent arrest and confessional statement by the RAW's officer has vindicated Pakistan's position that Indian state institutions are involved in conducting terrorist activities in Pakistan, he claimed.
Zakaria said that Pakistan was a peace-loving nation and maintenance of peace and stability in South Asia is the cornerstone of Pakistan's policy.
"We are opposed to conventional or nuclear arms race in the region. Pakistan's conventional military and nuclear capability is solely for self-defense and we are committed to credible minimum deterrence," he said.
He said there was an increased understanding at the international level of Pakistan's genuine concerns regarding rapidly growing Indian conventional and nuclear capabilities and their offensive force postures and military doctrines such as the Cold Start Doctrine.
He said Pakistan remains ready to discuss arms control and restraint measures with India.
"Our proposal for Strategic Restraint Regime (SRR) can provide a basis for mutually agreed restraint measures and avoidance of unnecessary arms race in the region. We believe that the limited resources of Pakistan and India should be channelled to meeting the social needs of our people," he said.
He also expressed concern over recent violence in Kashmir.
"We expressed our deep concern on what is going on in Handwara," he said.
"We have always condemned these violations and would continue to extend political, moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people," he said.
Zakaria said that the issue of unprovoked LoC ceasefire violations are responded appropriately and also taken up strongly with the Indian side.
"We believe in observance of 2003 LOC ceasefire agreement. The issues related to the international borders, LOC and Working Boundary are addressed in the spirit of rules of engagement on ground. The mechanism of DG MOs' consultation plays an effective role," he said.
