ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to jointly work toward peace between the two countries to ensure the socioeconomic development of their people in an unprecedented social media exchange.
Modi had posted a felicitation message on Twitter after Sharif's election as Pakistan's new prime minister on Monday, saying New Delhi desired "peace and stability in a region free of terror."
He maintained normalization of relations between India and Pakistan could help them focus on their "development challenges and ensure the well-being and prosperity of our people."
"Thank you Premier Narendra Modi for felicitations," Sharif said in response. "Pakistan desires peaceful & cooperative ties with India. Peaceful settlement of outstanding disputes including Jammu & Kashmir is indispensable. Pakistan's sacrifices in fighting terrorism are well-known. Let's secure peace and focus on socio-economic development of our people."
India and Pakistan have fought several wars since their independence in 1947, most of them over the disputed Kashmir region.
The Muslim-majority territory is divided between the two countries, though their governments claim its full ownership.
Tensions over Kashmir heightened in August 2019, when New Delhi scrapped special constitutional status of the part under its administration.
Subsequently, Pakistan downgraded its diplomatic relations with New Delhi and suspended direct trade with the neighboring state.
The recent social media interaction between the two prime ministers is the first direct exchange between the two countries at the highest level after a long gap.
Their social media posts were also widely shared by Twitter users in both countries.
