On the eve of its 60th Independence Day, Pakistan has said it wants to change its six-decade-long turbulent relations with India by settling all disputes, building trust and enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries.
"It has been complex relationship arising out of disputes from the day of Partition over distribution of assets, movement of people and the Kashmir issue,' Pakistan Foreign office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said on Monday when asked to describe the Indo-Pak ties in recent years and Pakistan's vision for the next 60 years.
The disputes kept the relations "below normal", Aslam, who would soon relinquish her post to join as ambassador to Italy, told mediapersons in Islamabad.
"We have conflicts, wars and tensions. In between we have had periods of negotiations and engagements. For the last few years, we have the pattern that there will be negotiations followed by breakdowns, conflict and tensions and then negotiating table," she said.
"In the last few years, we saw sustained efforts on both sides to engage in constructive dialogue process," she said referring to the assertions by leaderships of both the countries that there were intense negotiations "specially on the Kashmir dispute".
"What we hope to achieve in the next 60 years is a neighbourhood where we have no disputes. We will have economic cooperation. We will be able to take advantage of economic opportunities. Like other regions in the world," she said.
On Pakistan Foreign Minister, Khurshid M Kasuri's assertions that Pakistan would continue to maintain parity with India in nuclear weapons in the light of the US refusal to grant a deal similar to the agreement with India, Aslam said, "Upgradation and maintenance of its nuclear capability was necessary to ensure credible minimum deterrence. Aslam, however, said Pakistan does not believe in conventional or nuclear arms race in South Asia.
