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Sunday, November 18, 2012Musharraf calls for India, Pakistan to ‘bury the hatchet’
NEW DELHI: Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf said on Saturday that his country and rival India need to “bury the hatchet” and settle their differences to reduce poverty and ease tensions in the region.
“We need to resolve the long-standing disputes between India and Pakistan because these are the causes of hatred, causes of conflict and the wars,” Musharraf told a media conference in Indian capital New Delhi.
“It’s doable,” he said, talking of resolving Indo-Pak disputes.
Musharraf said the issues need to be resolved to improve the “socio-economic development” of South Asia, home to hundreds of millions of poor.
“It is high time we open our eyes to reality,” said Musharraf, who has lived in exile in Dubai and London since stepping down in 2008.
“We need to bury the hatchet.” But “compromise should come from the bigger party. India should have a big heart because it is the bigger country”, he said. Musharraf said that all outstanding disputes between Indian and Pakistan should be dealt with at the same time rather than following a “step-by-step” process. afp
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk