‘India Must Reach Out To Pakistan Despite Obstacles, Challenges’

NEW DELHI: India needs to reach out to Pakistan as the current situation of “non-dialogue” is not an option, argues Suba Chandran, head of the school of conflict and security studies, National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bangalore. Chandran believes that if India can go out of its way to talk to Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, why not Pakistan.

Talking on The Gist, Chandran accepts that Pakistan is the one neighbour that has a state policy to use terrorism against India. The others don’t, therefore the outreach to them makes sense. But he also believes that as a neighbour, India cannot afford to ignore Pakistan. There is a constituency there which wants better ties with India and India must tap that constituency to build ties with Pakistan keeping the long term in mind.

Tune in for more in this conversation with Suba Chandran of the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore.