PAKISTAN OFFERED PEACE WITH INDIA

 WHY PAKISTAN OFFERED PEACE WITH INDIA

India's western neighbour Pakistan is offering to "bury the past and move forward", a day after Prime Minister IMRAN KHAN made similar overtures towards New Delhi following an unexpected ceasefire announcement by the militaries of the two countries weeks ago.

Last month, India said that it wished to have normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.

India has said the onus is on Pakistan to create an environment free of terror and hostility.

India has also told Pakistan that "talks and terror" cannot go together and has asked Islamabad to take demonstrable steps against terror groups responsible for launching various attacks on India.

However, Pakistan's Army Chief of Staff GENERAL QAMAR JAVED BAJWA'S call for movement towards cooperation has a few reasons:

• Financial action task force
• Cash strapped
• Deniel pearl case 
• Sinking economy

Pakistan offers conditional peace, India says onus on Islamabad to end terror

Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Thursday that "stable" Indo-Pak relations is a "key" to unlock the untapped potential of South and Central Asia by ensuring connectivity between East and West Asia.

Addressing a session of the first-ever Islamabad Security Dialogue, General Bajwa said that it was time for India and Pakistan to "bury the past and move forward" but added a condition and said that for "resumption of peace process or meaningful dialogue", India will have to create a "conducive environment", particularly in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sources in India said that while India desired peace, Pakistan will first have to end "terrorism" emanating from their own country.

The Pakistani Army chief also said that the potential of the region has "forever remained hostage to disputes and issues between two nuclear neighbours".

Calling the Kashmir dispute the "heart of this problem", General Bajwa said, "It is important to understand that without the resolution of Kashmir dispute through peaceful means, the process of sub-continental rapprochement will always remain susceptible to derailment due to politically motivated bellicosity".

India and Pakistan had announced on February 25 that they have agreed to strictly observe all agreements on ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and other sectors. The ceasefire continues to hold, which is a positive sign.

Pakistan risk FATF blacklist (financial action task force)

The global watchdog will consider Pakistan 'greylist' status, meant for countries "under increased monitoring" during a meeting next month. The country was placed on the grey-list in 2018.

FATF President Marcus Pleyer said during October's review meeting in 2020 that there were "very serious deficiencies" in Pakistan's efforts to counter terrorist financing and gave the country until the February 19-21 Plenary to resolve these issues as they cannot wait "forever", Greek City Times reported.

Although Pakistan is only on a grey list, it risks being pushed into the blacklist if it does not fulfill its commitments to curb terrorism financing, and even if it does fulfill its obligations, FATF will remain suspicious and an on-sight inspection will take place, the Greek city Times reported.

"After that on-site visit, the next plenary will then decide whether Pakistan has indeed fully and effectively completed the action plan and then there is a decision on whether Pakistan would leave the grey list or not," the FATF chief said.

PAKISTAN ECONOMIC

Like almost every country around the globe, Pakistan’s economy suffered in 2020. The GDP growth rate for fiscal year 2019–20 was ­–0.4 per cent — the first time it fell negative in seven decades. Per capita income fell from US$1625 to US$1325. COVID-19 closures and lockdowns to limit the spread of the virus are also contributing to growing unemployment and poverty.But GDP growth was only 1.9 per cent in fiscal year 2018–19, falling from a decade-high 5.8 per cent the previous year when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government came to power