Pakistan took bold steps to normalize ties with India: Khar

Pakistan has taken bold and unprecedented decisions to improve relations with India, which is a vital neighbor, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Tuesday.
“Granting the Most Favored Nation (MFN) status by Pakistan to India has injected a new momentum into the Pakistan-India normalization process. This process should create a better relationship. And we believe that a better and deeper relationship will eventually lead us to ways and means to resolve all bilateral disputes, including the most important of all, the status of Jammu and Kashmir,” Khar, now on a visit to Germany said while addressing the German Council on Foreign Relations.
She said the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination was an agreed principle of international politics for over 50 years. “There is only one eventual resolution to the problem and it is clearly articulated by the UN Security Council,” she said. Khar hoped that a greater depth to the Pakistan-India relationship would help lead to the resolution.
The foreign minister said a lasting peace would open new vistas of cooperation in the region. “Pakistan straddles South Asia, West Asia and Central Asia. Pakistan is destined to become a bridge between these regions and it is pursuing several projects to promote regional connectivity and cooperation.”
She said Pakistan was proud to count Germany as Pakistan’s largest trading partner in Europe and fifth largest source of investment in Pakistan. “As in so many places in the world, the Pakistani diaspora in Germany is also thriving. Over 2,000 Pakistani students are studying in Germany’s outstanding schools and universities. Over 70,000 Pakistanis make their homes in Germany, benefiting from the vitality of this great country and contributing to it in myriad ways.