Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed his desire for peace with India and has called for “sincere and serious talks” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address “urgent issues like Kashmir.” Sharif stated that Pakistan has learned from its past mistakes and wants to move forward toward peaceful relations with its neighbor. He made this statement in an interview with Dubai-based Al Arabiya TV.
“I urge the Indian leadership, particularly Prime Minister Modi, to engage in sincere and serious talks to resolve our pressing issues, such as Kashmir. The choice is ours – we can either choose to live in peace and progress or continue to argue and waste valuable time and resources,” said Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in an interview.
“The past three wars with India have only led to increased suffering, poverty, and joblessness for our people. We have learned from our mistakes and now desire to live in peace with India, as long as we can resolve our legitimate issues,” stated Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“India is our neighboring country, we have to coexist together. To be honest, even though we may not have chosen to be neighbors, we are forever linked, and it is up to us to decide if we want to live in peace and prosper or continue to fight and waste time and resources,” said Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He also brought up the issue of Kashmir and emphasized that “Pakistan wants peace, but the current situation in Kashmir must come to an end.”
The Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif said that both countries have a wealth of engineers, doctors, and skilled laborers that should be utilized for the betterment of both nations and bring peace to the region. “We want to use these resources to bring prosperity and peace to the region so that both nations can flourish,” Sharif said.
In ref. to PM Shehbaz Sharif’s interview to Al Arabiya, the spokesman of the PM Office has said the PM has consistently maintained that Pakistan & India must resolve their bilateral issues, especially the core issue of Jammu & Kashmir, through dialogue and peaceful means. 1/3
— Prime Minister’s Office (@PakPMO) January 17, 2023
“Pakistan does not want to spend resources on bombs and ammunition, we are nuclear powers and have enough weapons, but if a war breaks out, who will be left to see the aftermath?” said, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Pakistan PMO’s rider
A spokesman for the Pakistan Prime Minister’s office tweeted that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has consistently stressed that Pakistan and India should resolve their bilateral issues, specifically the “core issue of Jammu and Kashmir”, through peaceful dialogue. The tweet was in reference to the interview.
“However, the Prime Minister has repeatedly stated on the record that talks can only take place after India reverses its illegal actions taken on August 5, 2019. Without India’s revocation of this step, negotiations are not possible. The resolution of the Kashmir dispute must be in accordance with the UN resolutions and the aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had made it clear in his interview with Al Arabiya news channel during his recent trip to the UAE that these were the conditions for talks to take place.
