With Pakistan witnessing a rise in terror-related violence after Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended ceasefire with security forces in late November, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for a “critical and honest talk” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on “burning points like Kashmir.” In an interview with Dubai-based Arabic news television channel Al Arabiya, Sharif said that the three wars with India has “solely introduced extra distress, poverty and unemployment to the individuals.”
“My message to the Indian management and PM Modi is that allow us sit down on the desk and have critical and honest talks to resolve our burning points like Kashmir. It’s as much as us to stay peacefully and make progress or quarrel with one another, and waste time and assets,” the Pakistani prime minister said.
“We now have three wars with India and it solely introduced extra distress, poverty and unemployment to the individuals. We now have learnt our lesson and we wish to stay in peace, but for that we should be capable of resolving our real issues,” he added.
The Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader further said that both the countries are nuclear powers and are well armed.
“God forbids, if a warfare breaks out, who will stay to tell what had happened”.
Sharif’s comment came at a time when Pakistan has been hit hard with increased terror related incidents, a rock-bottom economy and deepening political instability. The foreign direct investment inflows registered a decline of more than 50 per cent, amounting to USD 430 million for the July-November 2022 period as against USD 885 million recorded for the same period in 2021.
Pakistan is also going through a political instability with ousted prime minister Imran Khan saying President Dr Arif Alvi will soon ask Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to obtain a vote of confidence. Dr Alvi belongs to Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the federal coalition is surviving on a very thin majority.
