Islamabad: Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) clarified that negotiations with India were only possible if “Illegal action of August 5, 2019” is reversed and “Without India’s revocation of this step, negotiations are not possible”.

In message to his Indian counterpart during an interview with UAE’s Al Arabiya news channel, PM Shehbaz had called for talks between two countries saying “Let us sit down on table and have serious and sincere talks to resolve our burning issues like Kashmir”. “In Kashmir, flagrant human rights violations were taking place day in and day out”, he said, adding that India had usurped any semblance of autonomy given to Kashmiris according to Article 370 of Indian Constitution. “Autonomy was revoked in August 2019. Minorities in India were being persecuted,” Shehbaz said. “This must stop so that message can go around globe that India is ready to have talks.” Shehbaz said India and Pakistan were neighbours and they had to live with each other.

“It is up to us to live peacefully and make progress or quarrel with each other and waste time and resources. We have three wars with India and it only brought more misery, poverty and unemployment to the people. We have learnt our lesson and we want to live in peace provided we are able to resolve our genuine problems.

وزیراعظم شہباز شریف کا العربیہ ٹی وی کے ساتھ خصوصی انٹرویو۔۔۔ https://t.co/Cm5BOeQSJr

— PML(N) (@pmln_org) January 16, 2023

 “We want to alleviate poverty, achieve prosperity and provide education and health facilities and employment to our people and not waste our resources on bombs and ammunition, that is message I want to give to Prime Minister Modi,” he added. Clarifying statements, PMO spokesperson said that PM Shehbaz “Had consistently maintained that Pakistan and India must resolve their bilateral issues, especially core issue of Jammu and Kashmir, through dialogue and peaceful means”. “However PM has repeatedly stated on record that talks can only take place after India had reversed its illegal action of August 5, 2019 without India’s revocation of this step, negotiations are not possible,” statement added.

“Settlement of Kashmir dispute must be in accordance with UN resolutions and aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir,” spokesperson stressed.

Published in The Daily National Courier, January, 18 2023

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