COLOMBO/ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that dialogue to resolve longstanding disputes is the only way forward for the South Asian region, Radio Pakistan reported.
Addressing the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Trade and Investment Conference in Colombo, the premier recalled: “Immediately when I came into power [in 2018], I approached our neighbour India and explained to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the way forward for the subcontinent is to resolve our differences through dialogue.”
“I didn’t succeed [in doing so] but I am optimistic that eventually, sense will prevail,” he added.
“The only way the subcontinent can tackle poverty is by improving trade relations. Let us live like civilised neighbours as the Europeans live.
Germany and France have fought multiple times [between 16th and 20th century], but today it is unthinkable for them to have a conflict because they are so interlinked due to trade. Similarly, my dream for the subcontinent is that we resolve our differences.”
“Kashmir issue,” he said, “was the only conflict in the region.” “All we want is for the Kashmir dispute to be resolved according to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and this can only be achieved through dialogue.”
Imran said that a conflict between two nations only breeds more conflict. “We need to resolve our differences through dialogue and not through conflict. Imagine the potential for trade within the subcontinent,” he said.
The only thing stopping the region from realising this potential was the inability to resolve differences through dialogue.
He expressed confidence that Pakistan could also play its part in reducing rising tensions between the United States and China.
The Trade and Investment Conference was organised in a bid to explore avenues of collaboration in diverse fields between the two counties. Regarding their relations, the premier said: “Terrorism has affected both Pakistan and Sri Lanka and counties in the region can end poverty by establishing trade relations.”
“We would much rather be a country that brings other nations and humanity together,” he said.
PM Imran urged the Sri Lankan businessmen to explore the immense opportunities offered by the government of Pakistan in the form of ease-of-doing-business.
Imran, RAJAPAKSA DISCUSS BILATERAL TIES:
Earlier in the day, PM Imran and Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa held a one-on-one meeting at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, APP reported.
Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI met with the Sri Lankan President @GotabayaR at the President House in Colombo today. The one-on-one meeting between the two leaders was followed by delegation-level talks. The talks were held in a warm and cordial atmosphere.#PMIKinSriLanka pic.twitter.com/sU3y74HSc5
— Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) February 24, 2021
During the talks held in a warm and cordial atmosphere, the premier underlined the exceptional quality of Pakistan-Sri Lanka ties marked by trust, understanding and mutual support.
HE emphasised the importance of building a robust economic partnership characterised by enhanced bilateral trade, investments, and commercial cooperation.
He also laid emphasis on deeper collaboration in diverse fields — particularly agriculture, tourism, science and technology, sports, education and culture.
The importance of sharing experiences in poverty alleviation was stressed.
Imran recalled that Pakistan and Sri Lanka have always stood by each other in testing times and reaffirmed Islamabad’s steadfast support to Colombo in future.
While observing the close traditional and cultural ties between the two nations, the prime minister highlighted that Pakistan, by virtue of being a hub of Buddhism, had the potential of being a choice destination for religious tourism for Sri Lanka’s Buddhist majority.
He particularly highlighted the rich Buddhist heritage housed in the historical city of Taxila.
In the regional context, Prime Minister Imran shared his vision of peace, development, and connectivity.
He also emphasised the importance of regional cooperation through the SAARC platform and the opportunities for regional prosperity through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Imran also extended a cordial invitation to President Rajapaksa to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience.
The Prime Minister extended a cordial invitation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to visit Pakistan at the earliest convenience.
— Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) February 24, 2021
SRI LANKAN OPP LEADER CALLS ON PM:
Leader of the Opposition in Sri Lanka Sajith Premadasa also called on Prime Minister Imran in Colombo on Wednesday.
The Sri Lankan leader expressed gratitude to the prime minister for undertaking an important visit to Sri Lanka. He conveyed best wishes for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan under the leadership of PM Imran.
MEETING FORMER CRICKET RIVALS:
In a more light-hearted meeting, PM Imran met with the old cricket greats who had played against him over two decades ago during his visit, the premier announced on Twitter.
“I inaugurated Sri Lanka’s High Performance Sports Complex. It was great to meet the Sri Lankan cricket greats invited on the occasion who had played against me,” he said on the popular microblogging site.
During the special event was held to pay tribute to the cricketing legacy of Imran Khan, which was hosted by Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa and Speaker of the Sri Lankan parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywerdena, PM Imran said that his success in the cricket world and in political life was all about ‘continuous struggle and learning from setbacks’.
“In my life, the sport has taught me how to take the knocks and never get demoralized by defeats, whether in cricket ground or politics,” Prime Minister Imran said at the sportsmen-studded event in the Sri Lankan capital. He added that said success meant dealing not only with the good times, but also tackling the bad times with resilience.
In politics as well, he said, there could be “good and bad times”, however, “big dreams lead towards accomplishment”.
He recalled that he was dropped in his first test cricket match and also in politics, his stance did not gain attention for 14 years.
“You cannot win unless you believe in yourself. Picking yourself up is the only way,” he maintained.
Imran lauded the professionalism of the Sri Lankan cricket team that had performed brilliantly in several matches and fondly recalled his visit to Sri Lanka as a fresh university graduate and as a young player in the sports of cricket.
He suggested that besides cooperation between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the field of cricket, other sports including squash and hockey could also offer immense potential.
A documentary on prime minister’s cricketing career was showcased including a tribute by his fellow Sri Lankan cricketers.
The Sri Lankan sports minister presented a memento to the premier, who in turn presented him a cricket bat with his signatures.
Later, Prime Minister Imran attended the lunch hosted in his honour by the speaker of Sri Lankan parliament and the youth and sports minister.
SH IK says dialogue only way to resolve conflicts; What happened? today sheep not eating grass but drinking milk, snakes not crawling below fences but jumping over?
It is pathetic to abandon that such a long que of paki martyrs standing in line for their quota of kushamiri virgins!
It is true that issues can be resolved only by dialogue, but negotiations cannot be conducted with terrorism. Pakistan is notorious for spreading terrorism in the entire region on one hand and talks about dialogue on the other side. This reflects the duplicity of Pakistan. Pakistan’s economic condition has continuously deteriorated since Imran Khan’s government, that is why Pakistan talks about dialogues, otherwise Pakistan has been doing everything possible to spread terrorism in India and Afghanistan. If Pakistan really wants the situation to be resolved through dialogue, then it will have to correct its intention and stop supporting the terrorists. Only after this, any kind of dialogue with Pakistan is possible, whether it is about India or Afghanistan.