ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday replied to a letter written by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, and said Islamabad desires peaceful relations with New Delhi, an official source told Reuters.
Modi had written to Khan on the occasion of Pakistan’s Republic Day on March 23, also calling for peaceful relations between the two nuclear-armed rivals.
Dated March 29, the letter wasn’t officially released by either side but the official, speaking on anonymity, confirmed its contents which were shared widely on social media.
“The people of Pakistan also desire peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbors, including India,” Khan said in his reply, adding, “I thank you for your letter conveying greetings on Pakistan Day.”
Neither the Indian or Pakistani foreign ministries responded to requests for comment.
Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper quoted Modi’s letter on March 23, Modi as saying that “India desires cordial relations with the people of Pakistan” and “for this, an environment of trust, devoid of terror and hostility, is imperative.”
India and Pakistan have fought three wars and have shared a fractious relationship since the two gained independence in 1947, and in 2019 tensions rose dramatically as they sent combat planes into each other’s territory.
Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has called on both the nations to bury the past after the militaries of both countries released a rare joint statement last month announcing a cease-fire along a disputed border in Kashmir.
India and Pakistan this month held the first meeting in three years of a commission on water rights from the Indus River in a further sign of rapprochement in relations frozen since 2019 during disputes over Kashmir.
The talks are the latest in both nations’ tentative efforts to re-engage after a 2019 suicide bomb in Indian Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based guerrillas — Islamabad denies official complicity — and India’s move later that year to strip Kashmir’s constitutional autonomy.
Last month, India and Pakistan announced a rare agreement to stop firing on the bitterly-contested Kashmir border.
Pakistan PM replies to Indian counterpart Modi's letter
https://arab.news/w8smr
Pakistan PM replies to Indian counterpart Modi's letter
- Modi had written to Khan on the occasion of Pakistan's Republic Day on March 23
- The Indian PM had called for peaceful relations between the two nuclear-armed rivals
Pakistan and Muslim nations condemn Israeli raid on UN agency office in East Jerusalem
- Statement follows storming of UNRWA’s headquarters, which UN officials called part of ‘months of harassment’
- Muslim nations cite Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, call for international funding to preserve the agency’s operations
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and seven other Muslim-majority countries on Friday condemned a raid by Israeli police and municipal officials who forcibly entered the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in East Jerusalem last Monday, calling the agency’s work vital to the well-being of Palestinians.
The incident in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood cut the communications of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and resulted in the seizure of furniture and IT equipment, prompting the agency’s top official to describe it as part of “months of harassment.”
Israel has long accused UNRWA of aiding Hamas or allowing its members to operate within the agency — allegations the UN agency denies — and has pushed to curtail its role in Gaza and Jerusalem.
The Israeli raid on its office prompted foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates to issue a joint statement, calling it a “violation of international law.” The leaders of all these countries had discussed the Gaza peace plan with US President Donald Trump in New York in September before it was unveiled.
“The Ministers condemn the storming of the UNRWA headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem by Israeli forces, as this attack represents a flagrant violation of international law and the inviolability of UN premises, which constitutes an unacceptable escalation, and violates the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice dated 22 October 2025, which clearly states that Israel, as an occupying power, is under an obligation not to impede the operations of
UNRWA and, on the contrary, to facilitate them,” the statement said.
“The Ministers stress that UNRWA’s role is irreplaceable,” it added. “No other entity possesses the infrastructure, expertise, and field presence required to meet the needs of Palestinian refugees or to ensure continuity of services at the necessary scale. Any weakening of the Agency’s capacity would have grave humanitarian, social, and political repercussions across the region.”
The statement said UNRWA remained essential to delivering food, relief items and basic services in Gaza as the enclave faced an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. It noted the UN General Assembly’s recent vote to renew the agency’s mandate for another three years reflected broad confidence in its work.
UNRWA, established in 1949 under UN General Assembly Resolution 302, provides education, health care, social services and emergency aid to millions of Palestinian refugees across its areas of operation.
Its mandate has been repeatedly renewed in recognition of the absence of a political settlement that would resolve the refugee question.
