For the born-free generation ... India is just another country, a neighbour; of course a difficult

neighbour, and adversarial neighbour. We want to live with India on an equal footing and normalise relations ...

India should learn not to be the bully of the block, not to be the big bad brother in the neighbourhood, but live as a country which wants normal relations with smaller neighbours ..

.. We would like to test Mr. Gujral's rhetoric with the reality of his policies ... There seems to be a yawning chasm between rhetoric and reality. ...

The Government of Pakistan has shown its seriousness in talking to India, in initiating a dialogue ... We don't want to have a dialogue of the deaf. Let us discuss the issues across the table in a serious and sober manner. If India is interested only on talking about non-issues and tries to skirt the core issue of occupied Jammu and Kashmir then, in the long run, this dialogue will not make much headway ... Kashmir is the principal roadblock to India-Pakistan normalisation.

.. Substantial trade between India and Pakistan is precluded by the problem of Kashmir unless there is some progress. Trade also means opening up of barriers, creating a new ambience, new environment of cooperation. And that new environment cannot come about if the political and security environment is still frozen ... because of Kashmir and the policies of the Indian Government.                                             (Source: The Mainstream, 23 August 1997)