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India should maintain a relationship of respect with Pak, they need us for access to European markets, says Janjua

Former National Security Advisor of Pakistan Lt Gen (retd) Nasser Janjua on Friday said that India must develop a relationship of respect with Pakistan as its growing economy needs access to the markets of Europe via Central Asia while terming Pakistan as the only country which could provide it.

The former NSA resigned from his post on Wednesday after serving on the position for almost three years. The resignation had come amid his differences with Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk.

According to the report of Express Tribune, Janjua while speaking at a regional conference on ‘Connectivity and Geo-Economic in South Asia’, he said that economy and security are two sides of the same coin with one having a causative relationship with the other. The conference was organized by the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), an Islamic-based think tank.

Nothing that stability in South Asia is a pre-requisite for its connectivity, he said it is only through connectivity economic growth and stability can be brought about.

Janjua said that Pakistan is the only country which could provide India with the access to the rich markets of Europe via Central Asia which it truly desires.

He also acknowledged that without involving India in the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), free trade in the region is “quite difficult”.

Participants at the conference explored how to achieve connectivity in a region that is beset with old rivalries and instabilities.

Pakistan have already signed, can help achieve that connectivity, the former NSA said Pakistan has a central role in the emerging geo-economic order of South Asia, as it can help connect the countries economically.

“Even India cannot trade with this part of the world without Pakistan on board,” he said, adding that the “bitterness of the past should be overcome”.

Earlier Nasser Janjua resigned from his post on Wednesday after serving on the position for almost three years. According to the media reports, the resignation came amid his differences with the Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk.

Indian scholar Sudheendhra Kulkarni said that South Asia is the most populated, least integrated and one of the poorest regions of the world. The trade amongst South Asian countries often circumvents each other, passing through third countries.

Speakers at the conference pointed out that rivalries and stereotypical perceptions about each other have been hampering connectivity and trade.

They discussed the policy implications of projects like the BRI and the CPEC and what would be the impact of supplementing these efforts with enhanced cultural contacts and cross-border economy.

Another Indian scholar, Shanthie D’Souza, said that for connecting the region, small confidence-building steps were required.

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