Regional peace contingent upon resolving Kashmir dispute, Imran tells Modi

ISLAMABAD: In a major breakthrough in bilateral relations, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday responded to a letter of Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, reminding him that durable peace and stability in the South Asian region is contingent upon resolving all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan, particularly the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

This is the first official exchange of goodwill letters between the two chief executives of the two arch-rival states who have fought almost four wars on the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir left over by history since the partition of the subcontinent in the year 1947.

This exchange follows reports of back-channel talks between the two countries which was welcomed by China. A spokesman of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhao Lijian, on Monday said that China welcomed the recent positive interactions between Pakistan and India and said that it was ready to work with Pakistan to inject positive energy into regional peace, stability and development.

Thanking the Indian prime minister for his goodwill letter in which Narendra Modi had conveyed greetings to the Pakistanis on Pakistan Day, observed on March 23, PM Imran stated that the people of Pakistan also desire peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbours, including India.

“We are convinced that durable peace and stability in South Asia is contingent upon resolving all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan, in particular, the Jammu & Kashmir dispute.”

He maintained that the creation of an enabling environment is imperative for a constructive and result-oriented dialogue.

“I also take this opportunity to convey our best wishes for the people of India in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic,” the premier wrote in the letter dated March 29, 2021.

Prime Minister Imran further stated that the people of Pakistan commemorate Pakistan Day by paying tribute to the wisdom and foresight of their founding fathers in envisioning an independent, sovereign state where they could live in freedom and realise their full potential.