LAHORE: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCI) Senior Vice President Iftikhar Ali Malik said that Chinese offer of trilateral dialogue to help de-escalate tensions between nuclear armed archrival India with Pakistan with any positive role that the Chinese government can play can be fruitful and prosperous. He said it is the need of the hour that both India and Pakistan should strengthen channels for dialogue, appropriately handle any differences, improve bilateral relations and together protect the region’s peace and stability. In case the leaderships of both the countries think they cannot handle differences through bilateral dialogue, then China, a global superpower, is willing to play a “constructive role” in mending relations between India and Pakistan. “There is a need to strengthen Pakistan intrinsically so that we can counter India logically and rationally. India cannot isolate Pakistan but Pakistan’s intrinsic situation is isolating it from the comity of nations,” he said, adding that China was not in favour of confrontation between the two countries but it wanted them to sit on the negotiation table. He further said that China has deepened cooperation in trade, investment and agriculture in SAARC since it became an observer in 2006. Chinese investments into South Asia amounted to $30 billion and Chinese loans at concessional rates to South Asia amounted to $25 billion. Besides this, China was giving 10,000 scholarships for South Asian students, apart from providing skills training to thousands of other. He said India and Pakistan are important South Asian countries but the “situation in Kashmir has attracted the attention of the international community”. “Hostility and aggression is not the solution of any problem. Pakistan and India have fought three wars since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. Two of those wars have been over Kashmir. Kashmiri resistance groups have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with Pakistan. More than 70,000 people have reportedly been killed in the conflict since 1989. India maintains more than half a million troops in the disputed region,” adding he said. “Despite this, India has imposed governor rule in Indian-held Kashmir to suppress the voices of Kashmiris,” he said. SAARC CCI Senior Vice President Iftikhar Ali Malik said if the United States and North Korea can return from the brink of a nuclear flashpoint, there is no reason why Pakistan and India cannot do the same, beginning with a dialogue on Kashmir whose heroic people have resisted and rejected Indian occupation. He said that settlement of Kashmir dispute was imperative for durable peace in South Asia because it would bring prosperity to the region and its people would get rid of illiteracy and poverty. Iftikhar Ali Malik asked the government in New Delhi to fulfil its promise of holding referendum in IHK, adding that without doing so, India would not be able to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. “These issues could be resolved effectively through strong regional connectivity and business to business contacts,” he added. He urged the governments of the member states to expedite the process of trade liberalisation in South Asia. “The cooperation in member states will help promote trade and improve quality of life of our people, who accounted for 1/5th of the world’s population,” Malik said. Malik said that though it seems difficult, but it is not impossible that we must collaborate with each other with confidence and trust especially focusing on easing trade and visa restrictions. “For that matter, we have to encourage people-to-people contacts, cooperate in all fields of life and explore such avenues of liaison which can promote feel-good factors among us,” he maintained. Published in Daily Times, June 25th 2018.