ISLAMABAD: India must not be allowed to use terrorism as an instrument of state policy, said Masood Khan, former ambassador and the director general of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), on Tuesday.

He was speaking at a seminar organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute on `Policy approaches of South Asian countries and their impact on the region.

`India should not target Pakistan... in its (Pakistan`s) quest for peace and stability by deploying its intelligence assets. This is criminal,` he added.

He was referring to the Indian defence minister`s controversial `terrorists have to be neutralised only through terrorists` comment. About the Indian protest to the Chinese leadership over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Mr Khan said it`s now clear that India would use all resources at its disposal to undermine the project. He called for an emphasis on conflict resolution and accommodation for the improvement in bilateral ties.

`Divergences will have to be reduced and convergences need to be built upon,` he said, adding this would not happen unless there was a move towards conflict resolution.

The region, he noted, was faced with numerous challenges, including Kashmir, climate change, trade, rise of Hindutva, non-proliferation, and the threat of terrorism which required cooperation within the region.

Regarding the challenges of policy formulation in the region, the ISSI director general said there was very little space for formulating policies in all South Asian countries.

Civil society and media, he observed, were increasingly influencing the policy formulation processes.

Responding to a question, he opined that India would not be able to make to the permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

Former federal secretary Dr Gulfraz Ahmed called for a paradigm shift in the region for expanding cooperation. He said India, being a bigger state, should desist from undermining Pakistan. `Would not the flames ignited here cross the border,` he asked.

Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, director School of Politics and International Relations at Quaid-i-Azam University, while discussing the causes of decline of civilian institutions said it happened because of political appointments for the sake of having a `loyal bureaucracy.` `When loyalty is the merit, the civilian institutions would fail to perform,` he said and added that all political parties had dynastic culture.

Because of the weal( political leadership, Dr Jaspal said, bureaucrats made and implemented the policies with little input from the politicians. Dr Andrea Fleschenberg, a guest professor at QAU, was of the opinion that Pakistan`s problem was that of lack of political will and poor enforcement.

`There is no issue with the law making,` she said and added that contentious politics, non-state actors and other issues may be hindering implementation and monitoring of policies.

Dr Bishnu Hari Nepal, the country director Nepal`s South Asia Policy Analysis Network, discussed the prospects of energy cooperation within South Asia.

`South Asia can become an energy hub of Asia if hydropower was planned well,` he maintained.