Pakistan desires peaceful relations, Imran Khan writes to PM Modi, backs ‘result-oriented dialogue’
The Pakistan prime minister wrote in response to Modi’s letter to him last week.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has written to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi advocating for a “constructive and result-oriented dialogue”, the Dawn reported on Tuesday.
Khan’s letter was in response to Modi’s correspondence last week on the occasion of National Day of Pakistan. Modi, in his letter, had said that India desires “cordial relations with the people of Pakistan”. In his response dated March 29, Khan reciprocated the Indian prime minister’s sentiments.
“The people of Pakistan also desire peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbours, including India,” Khan wrote. “We are convinced that durable peace and stability in South Asia is contingent upon resolving all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan, in particular the Jammu & Kashmir dispute.”
“Creation of an enabling environment is imperative for a constructive and result-oriented dialogue,” the letter added.
The communication between Khan and Modi comes across as yet another positive step in the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan since the two countries reached a ceasefire agreement last month along the Line of Control after discussions between the director generals of military operations. The declaration reaffirms the commitment of both the countries made during the 2003 ceasefire agreement.
Last week, a Pakistani delegation had arrived in India for a meeting of the permanent Indus commission. This was the first such dialogue in more than two-and-a-half years. During Pakistan Day celebration in Delhi on March 23, Aftab Hasan Khan, Charges D’Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission had said that that the two countries should resolve all bilateral problems, especially that of Jammu and Kashmir through dialogue.
Earlier this week, Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had also said that it was time “to bury the past and move forward”, according to The Indian Express.