ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani foreign office on Tuesday confirmed that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had replied to a letter written by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Pakistan’s Republic Day on March 23.
Khan’s letter, dated March 29, thanked Modi for his note and said the people of Pakistan wanted peaceful and cooperative relations with all neighbors, including India.
“Durable peace and security in South Asia is contingent upon resolving all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan, particularly the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” Khan’s letter said.
Arab News reached out to the foreign office spokesperson to confirm if the letter, first shared on social media, was official.
“Yes it is,” he replied in a text message.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars and had tense ties since gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Relations worsened in 2019 and both sent combat planes into each other’s territory.
In a sign of rapprochement, India and Pakistan this month held the first meeting in three years of a commission on water rights from the Indus River.
Last month, India and Pakistan announced a rare agreement to stop firing on the bitterly-contested Kashmir border.
Pakistani foreign office confirms PM Khan letter to Indian counterpart Modi
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Pakistani foreign office confirms PM Khan letter to Indian counterpart Modi
- Khan was replying to a letter by Modi 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
Islamabad says engagement with Afghanistan hinges on action against militant groups
- Tensions have been high between Islamabad and Kabul over the increase in militant attacks inside Pakistan
- Minister says economic aspects do come in between, but Pakistan's security remains their highest priority
KARACHI: Any engagement between Pakistan and Afghanistan depends on concrete action by Kabul against militant groups, Pakistan's commerce minister said on Monday, citing a surge in militant attacks inside Pakistan.
Tensions have been high between Islamabad and Kabul over the increase in militant attacks that Pakistan has blamed on Afghanistan-based militant groups, an allegation denied by the Taliban authorities.
The attacks triggered one of the worst skirmishes between the neighbors in Oct. last year, after Islamabad hit what it called Pakistani Taliban targets inside Afghanistan. Pakistan has since suspended all trade with Afghanistan, despite a ceasefire reached in Doha on Oct. 19.
Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan said on Monday that Pakistan has made it clear at all levels that it could not make any compromise on its security and that militants using Afghan soil need to be "handled."
"If we have to engage in any form, Afghanistan has to address this aspect of terrorism first," he said on X. "In recent months, many such incidents have taken place and we see an increase in it."
There was no immediate response to the statement from the Afghan side, which comes as the suspension of trade between the neighbors has been severely impacting traders on either side of the border.
Kamal said they welcomed any dialogue and ways to facilitate trade but could not pursue them in the presence of militant "safe havens" in Afghanistan.
"Economic aspects do come in between, however, we keep our sovereignty and security as the highest priority," he added.
