PM Khan urges Modi to “work together” for regional peace and prosperity

In this file photo people watch Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan address the nation on TV following the Feb. 14 suicide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir, in Islamabad, Feb. 19, 2019.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan prepares to speak at the opening of the Future Investment Initiative conference, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct 23, 2018. (AP File photo)

• Bilateral dialogue between the two nuclear-armed neighbors remains suspended since 2016
• Analysts say premier’s letter to Indian counterpart is part of measures to lure New Delhi into dialogue

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan reached out to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi through a letter written earlier this week, seeking dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, for regional peace, progress, and prosperity.
Khan’s letter to Modi has been sent just days ahead of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), in Kyrgyzstan, which both leaders are scheduled to attend from June 13-14.
The foreign ministries of both the countries, however, have denied any “bilateral meeting” will take place between the two leaders on the sidelines of the summit.
This is the second time – since Modi was re-elected to power last month – that the Pakistani premier has expressed his desire to revive bilateral dialogue between the two nations which has been derailed since 2016.
“Pakistan desires peace in the region and wants to resolve all outstanding issues including Kashmir through dialogue,” Prime Minister Khan said in the letter to Modi, congratulating him on his second term as the prime minister of India.
Khan also emphasized the need to work together “on the basis of mutual respect and trust” to address challenges faced by people of both the countries, including poverty and underdevelopment.
“Dialogue is the only way to lift people of both the countries out of poverty,” he said, adding that “Pakistan is keen for peace in the region … joint efforts are essential for regional peace, progress and prosperity.”
Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors showed signs of improvement last month after Khan congratulated Modi on his landslide victory in the general elections. However, the chances of the resumption of bilateral dialogue continues to seem unlikely due to a trust deficit between the two countries.
“It takes two to tango,” Dr. Mohammad Faisal, Foreign Office spokesman told Arab News on Friday. “We have repeatedly expressed our desire to start a productive dialogue with India, but if they are not interested, we can’t force them.”
He said that Pakistan is not interested in “mere handshakes with Indian leadership” as such gestures in the past have “failed to yield any meaningful results.”
Both the countries were on the brink of war in February this year after India accused Pakistan of harboring a militant group that killed over 40 paramilitary Indian troops in the disputed Kashmir region in a suicide attack. Pakistan denies the charge.
Tensions have calmed since then, with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi having an unscheduled and informal meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj last month on the sidelines of the SCO meeting of foreign ministers in Bishkek.
Dr. Hasan Askari Rizvi, a foreign affairs analyst, said that PM Khan’s letter to Modi is “part of the diplomacy” to show the international community that Pakistan “wants to initiate meaningful dialogue with its neighbor to resolve all the disputes.”
“There is no indication of resumption of bilateral dialogue from the India side ….. and now it is responsibility of the international community to take stock of New Delhi’s intransigence and influence it for productive negotiations,” he told Arab News.