In an old interview to Pakistan’s Dawn News, ‘Indian National’ Congress leader Kamal Nath expressed openness to Indian investment in Pakistan, emphasizing personal comfort and attachment to the country.
He highlighted the need to prioritize trade over longstanding political issues, echoing sentiments for economic cooperation expressed by Pakistani leaders.
Despite the Kashmir dispute and the Pakistani-fuelled insurgency in the Kashmir valley, he advocated for separating political issues from economic cooperation.
Here’s a transcript of the interview.
Kamal Nath: I accept, I’m sure Indian companies would love to invest in Pakistan. I personally, whatever maybe it, I find myself emotionally attached. When I go to Islamabad, when I go to, I was in Murree, I feel very comfortable. I feel at home. There’s no issue. And this is what I told President Musharraf, this is what I told the former Prime Minister, that this is such an easy environment when we sit together. It’s such an easy environment. And we need to now invest and build upon this common psyche we have and put this baggage which we have, which we’ve been carrying behind us.
Interviewer: Okay. Last couple of questions. There’s a change of stance in Pakistani politics recently. Obviously, there’s a sea change as far as the government is concerned. The tides have turned in Pakistan when it comes to the government, when it comes to the administration. Dawn, 1st March 2008, headline, India-Pakistan must focus on trade. You know who said this? Asif Ali Zardari. It goes, India and Pakistan could set aside the Kashmir issue to be resolved by a future generation while they focus on trade and economic ties to improve bilateral relations, Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said. How do you take that?
Kamal Nath: Welcome. I’ve been saying that for the last four years. I’ve been saying that let the business communities take over. Let not government stand in their way. I’ve been saying this for four years. I was the one who urged President Musharraf in 2004. I went to him in Rawalpindi, and I said, can we please have a bilateral trade agreement? He said, what does it mean? What are the implications of this? And he then had a chat with his minister, a friend of mine, the minister then, and we announced it within four hours. Of course, what the polity is saying today is very right. I think that’s very forward-looking. I think there’s a great vision in it, and we welcome it.
Interviewer: But Kashmir is still an issue, isn’t it, sir?
Kamal Nath: Yes Kashmir is an issue.
Interviewer: So, when will the Indian government actually accept the fact that Kashmir is a core issue between India and Pakistan? Because this is the basic mindset problem, right? The Indians don’t think it’s a core issue. The Pakistanis do. The Indians don’t want to talk about it. They want to trade first. The Pakistanis want to talk about it and then trade later.
Kamal Nath: You just said the trade and investment should take over, and this should all be put in the background. If you have different perceptions of this, the question is should we let these perceptions stand in the way? Or should we say, okay, these perceptions are there, let them be settled in a different track. There are all kinds of negotiations going on, which have been going on with Pakistan.
Interviewer: But there’s intransigence. There’s not enough forward movement. Musharraf’s four points for example, I know this is not your portfolio but let’s just get a little political. I know you don’t handle national security issues. But Mr. Musharaff’s four points for example are mind-blowing. They are out of the box. They haven’t been said before. Pakistan has changed its original position.
Kamal Nath: There are issues and issues. And if we say these are Mr. Musharraf’s points, there are also four points of India. There has to be convergence in this. The question is that we have to be practical. We have to be realistic in the world today. And if we are going to let this baggage, we are going to move on with this baggage, we are not going to have trade and investment the way we want it. Now, this baggage has to be left there and said that, okay, this is going to be negotiated at the political level. Let the business and trade continue. The political level is going to sit down and try and find convergence on this. It’s not. There’s an India perception on Kashmir. There’s a Pakistan perception on Kashmir. Of course, there is. It’s not something which is today. It’s last 50 years.
Interviewer: But the Indians aren’t willing to talk. This is the question. The Indians can talk to the Chinese. India-China trade has gone through the roof. It’s huge.
Kamal Nath: And China hasn’t complained of tariff barriers in India.
Interviewer: Hold on. That’ll come in a bit. But how can the Indians and the Chinese drop baggage? And how can the Pakistanis and the Indians not drop their baggage? How does that work out?
Kamal Nath: I think Pakistan needs to learn from China then. Because here’s trade continuing. We are not putting any roadblocks because of the baggage. Pakistan is putting roadblocks because of the baggage. And I’ve been told this.
Interviewer: The Pakistanis say that you guys don’t talk to them. That’s the bottom line. Pakistan wants to equate the trade and the security issues bilaterally and simultaneously.
Kamal Nath: You see, now one can move faster than the other. One can move slower. And this really is at a political level for them to decide should we move in parallel. Now if it is to move in parallel, well, this is the way it’ll move.
Interviewer: Which one do you think is more important? Trade or talks?
Kamal Nath: I think trade and investment. Leave the trade, the business communities of both countries alone. And this is what the Pakistan business community, my sense of things, when I’ve talked extensively with the Pakistan business community, they say, listen, we want to do business. We want to have a better life. We want to create growth. We want to create prosperity for everybody. Now all this will take care of itself. Let the others start to keep negotiating that. And that is the real answer. We need to drive our trade and investment without anything coming in the way. And perhaps, perhaps, once that’s moving and that’s booming, everything else will start falling into place.
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