NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan should secure peace and focus on the socio-economic development of their people, Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday while responding to a congratulatory message from PM Narendra Modi.
Sharif offered an olive branch to India shortly after being elected on Monday, saying in his maiden speech that the resolution of the Kashmir issue will allow the two countries to focus on shared problems such as poverty and employment. Modi responded on Twitter, congratulating Sharif on his election and linking any engagement with Pakistan to an environment free of terror.
“Thank you Premier Narendra Modi for felicitations. Pakistan desires peaceful & cooperative ties with India. Peaceful settlement of outstanding disputes including Jammu & Kashmir is indispensable,” Sharif said in a set of tweets on Tuesday.
“Pakistan’s sacrifices in fighting terrorism are well-known. Let’s secure peace and focus on socio-economic development of our people,” he added.
In his congratulatory message on Twitter, Modi had added that India “desires peace and stability in a region free of terror, so that we can focus on our development challenges and ensure the well-being and prosperity of our people”.
Sharif was elected as premier during a parliamentary vote boycotted by more than 100 MPs from former prime minister Imran Khan’s party — the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He subsequently took the oath of office on Monday night.
Speaking in Pakistan’s National Assembly after his election, Sharif laid out his country’s standard position of raising the Kashmir issue at international forums and offering diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiri people. However, he devoted more time to India in the foreign policy segment of his speech than any other country, including China and the US.
“We desire good relations with India but there cannot be lasting peace till the equitable resolution of the Kashmir issue,” he said, speaking in Urdu.
“I would give Prime Minister Modi this advice that you should understand about the poverty, unemployment [and] sickness on both sides. People don’t have medicines, education, trade or jobs. Why do we want to cause harm to ourselves and the coming generations?” he said.
“Come, let us decide the Kashmir issue according to UN resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people and end poverty on both sides and create jobs, and bring progress and prosperity.”
Sharif emphasised that neighbours are “not a matter of choice”, and are “something you have to live with”.
The two countries have not had any structured dialogue since the 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. Pakistan snapped virtually all ties and downgraded diplomatic relations after India scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.
Back-channel contacts between senior Indian and Pakistani security officials resulted in the two countries reviving the ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC) in February 2021, ending years of skirmishes involving artillery, mortars and small arms.
During his tenure, Imran Khan made repeated personal attacks on Modi even as relations were at an all-time low. The latest messages between the two prime ministers showed the two sides were sticking to their stated positions on Kashmir and terrorism.
