Want peaceful ties but India should be serious: Pakistan

Pakistan said it continues to pursue a policy of peaceful neighbourhood, based on mutual respect and sovereign equality, with all countries of South Asia

Pakistan on Thursday said that it wants good ties with India, but New Delhi should show seriousness in having a dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including Kashmir.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at the weekly briefing that Pakistan continues to pursue a policy of peaceful neighbourhood, based on mutual respect and sovereign equality, with all countries of South Asia.

“Pakistan is interested in peace and dialogue and it is up to the Indian authorities to take a responsible position to improve relations,” she said.

“Pakistan consistently maintained that bilateral relations cannot fully normalise until the resolution of the outstanding disputes, especially the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir,” she said, adding that Islamabad would make efforts for the settlement of the Kashmir dispute as per the UN resolutions.

Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

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The ties between the two countries nosedived after India abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the State into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019.

India’s decision evoked a strong reaction from Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian envoy.

Trade ties between Pakistan and India have largely been frozen since then. India has told Pakistan that the entire Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh were and will always be an integral and inalienable part of the country.

Baloch said Pakistan wants good ties with other South Asian countries, including Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

She said that Islamabad enjoys good ties with the leading nations around the world and would further deepen the relations in days to come.

She added Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited several countries to demonstrate an interest in expanding and strengthening friendships around the world.