Islamabad: Asserting that his country has always sought “good neighborly relations” with India, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar called for sober reflection on the bilateral relationship that has historically been marred by tension. Dar, who is also the Foreign Minister, said that Pakistan does not believe in “perpetual hostility” with India.
Dar sent the “positive message” to New Delhi while addressing a seminar at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI). The 74-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said, “To our east, the relationship with India has historically remained troubled. Pakistan does not believe in perpetual hostility. We seek good neighborly relations with India on the basis of mutual respect, sovereign equality, and a just and peaceful resolution of the long-standing Jammu and Kashmir dispute.”
He urged the BJP government to have a reflection on India’s ties with Pakistan. “In our view, as the BJP-led NDA government starts a new term, it is time for a sober reflection on the future of India-Pakistan relations and the cross-cutting issues affecting the entire region,” Dar said, adding that it is up to India to create an enabling environment for purposeful engagement.
Further, the minister insisted on cooperation between the South Asian nations and said rather than fighting it would be prudent to combat challenges like poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, disease, food insecurity, water scarcity, natural disasters, environmental degradation, and climate change together.
He also called China Pakistan’s most trusted and reliable friend. “Our all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China is the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy,” he added.
India slams Pakistan for 'deceitful narratives’ on KashmirUnited Nations: India has criticized Pakistan for its “baseless and deceitful narratives” as Islamabad’s envoy here made references to Kashmir in the UN General Assembly. “Earlier in the day, one delegation misused this forum to spread baseless and deceitful narratives, which is not a surprise,” said Pratik Mathur, a minister in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN. "I will not dignify these remarks with any response, just to save the valuable time of this august body,” he added. Mathur, who did not name Pakistan and referred to it as 'one delegation' was reacting to Pakistan Permanent UN representative Munir Akram's suggestion to set up a security council body to monitor the implementation of its resolution on Kashmir. |
