'Instability in Pakistan will benefit India', says former envoy Gurjit Singh

Gurjit Singh pointed out that the recovery of PoK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) is not a strategic necessity for our country.

New Delhi: Gurjit Singh, former Indian ambassador to Germany, on Saturday (May 7), said that instability in Pakistan will benefit India and Indo-Pak issues can be resolved if the military rule is reestablished in Pakistan. He said that India’s relations with Pakistan were better under military rules under Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf.

Speaking at Zee Media’s Learning XP platform, Singh also said that Pakistan will not change its priorities despite the change in regime. However, the political uncertainty in the neighbouring country will help India. Singh also pointed out that the recovery of PoK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) is not a strategic necessity for our country.

Talking about China former envoy said, the Quad is essential for India to keep a check on China in the Indo-Pacific region. Apparently referring to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Singh also pointed out that Russia has become an uncertain partner and India should cut its defence and power purchase from Russia.

India's dependency on the Chinese market:

India’s imports jumped 28% from the first quarter of 2021 to $27.69 billion. Whereas, the exports slumped 26% to $4.87 billion, signalling an increased dependence on Chinese goods. 

On India’s role in handling the economic crises in South Asia, Singh said that the nation should carry the weight of neighbouring nations, barring Pakistan.

However, he pointed out that even though friendship comes at a cost, the government shouldn’t go overboard when it comes to helping out nations in economic crises. “If we need to counter China, we have to bear the financial costs,” he added.