Chinese experts warn India against border closure with Pak

Beijing [China], Oct 11 : Chinese analysts have said that India's decision to completely close its border with Pakistan is "irrational" and have warned that it would lead to a major setback in bilateral relations between the two nations.

The Global Times quoted Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow from the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences as saying that "India is making a very irrational decision, since no exhaustive investigation has been conducted after the Uri incident, and no evidence proves Pakistan is behind the attack," A "completely sealed" border would further hinder the already scarce border trade and talks between the two countries, Hu added.

Wang Dehua, director of the Institute for Southern and Central Asian Studies at the Shanghai Municipal Center for International Studies, echoed the similar statements made by Hu and said that the sealed border would only disrupt peace efforts made by the two sides.

Hu claimed that since Pakistan is China's all-weather strategic partner, India's decision would make China-Pakistan-India relations more complicated.

He further said that a peaceful resolution on the Kashmir disputes is in the interest of China's homeland security, especially its western regions.

Earlier, in the wake of escalating tension at the border, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said that his ministry has a target to completely seal the India-Pakistan boundary by December 2018.

Source: ANI