Nawaz Sharif says India, Pakistan ought to focus on variations, enhance ties

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
| Photograph Credit score: PTI

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a latest dialogue with The Hindu expressed hope for bettering relations with India, suggesting that each international locations ought to “choose up the threads of our dialog” and transfer ahead pretty much as good neighbours.

Mr. Sharif praised the go to of Exterior Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, calling it a constructive step. “We might have preferred Mr. Modi to come back, but it surely was good that Mr. Jaishankar got here,” he stated, stressing that dialogue and collaboration ought to be the best way ahead.

Mr. Sharif reiterated the significance of not letting the subsequent 70 years be marred by the conflicts of the previous. He emphasised the necessity for each India and Pakistan to take a seat down and focus on their variations, including that neither nation may change its neighbours. He highlighted the potential of bilateral cooperation in areas like commerce, trade, and electrical energy, reflecting on previous conversations with former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

When requested about points like Kashmir and Article 370, Mr. Sharif declined to remark, stating that it was not the correct event to debate these issues. He urged either side to maneuver previous their historic grievances and deal with the long run, underscoring the immense potential each nations maintain because of their appreciable populations.

He additionally spoke in regards to the significance of private gestures in diplomacy, recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s go to to Pakistan in 2015 and the way such moments shouldn’t be ignored. In distinction, he expressed disappointment over the tone of remarks made by former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, which he believed broken the connection between the 2 nations.

With reference to cricket, he questioned the present observe of groups from India and Pakistan not taking part in in one another’s international locations, regardless of competing elsewhere globally. He supported the concept of India sending a crew to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, noting that this sentiment resonated with him.

Maryam Nawaz, daughter of Mr. Sharif, shared her expertise of receiving love and affection from Indian pilgrims throughout her go to to Kartarpur. She expressed a want to go to India, significantly Punjab, with the chief encouraging her to additionally discover Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.

Reflecting on his private ties to India, Mr. Sharif recounted a childhood go to to Amritsar in 1964 along with his father, throughout which he visited their former household dwelling, now a part of a gurdwara.

He concluded by advocating a practical strategy to the long run, stating, “The previous is the previous. We should always consider the subsequent 75 years,” urging for higher ties between the 2 international locations.