Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif desires peaceful ties with India
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif
Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, stated on Thursday that his nation wanted to maintain good relations with India, including "a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir conflict in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions."
According to The Express Tribune, Sharif made the comments while speaking with Neil Hawkins, the recently appointed Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan.
"A just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people is indispensable for peace and stability in the region," said PM Shehbaz.
In order to achieve lasting peace in South Asia, he emphasised that the international community must play a facilitative role in this respect, according to The Express Tribune.
Sharif made the remarks following former PM Imran Khan's praise of India for its autonomous foreign policy and criticism of the west for criticising India for purchasing Russian oil.
Imran Khan has accused a US-led foreign conspiracy against him since his overthrow in April. Imran Khan has frequently praised India for refusing to give in to Western pressure and continuing to buy Russian oil despite being a "strategic friend" of the US, even as he criticised the Joe Biden administration.
Imran Khan's party PTI aired a video clip of Indian foreign minister S Jaishankarspeaking at the Bratislava Forum in June during a sizable gathering in Lahore. In the footage, the Indian minister asserts that New Delhi will act in the best interests of its citizens.
The PTI leader compared the two nations and criticised the Shehbaz government for caving in to US pressure to purchase Russian oil.
"We had spoken to Russia about buying cheaper oil but this government has no courage to say no to US pressure. Fuel prices are skyrocketing, people are below the poverty line. I am against this slavery," Khan said.
"If India which got independence at the same time as Pakistan and if New Delhi can take a firm stand and make their foreign policy as per the need of its people then who are they (Shehbaz Sharif government) who are toeing the line," Imran Khan said at the gathering.
Imran Khan pointed to comments made by Jaishankar at the GLOBSEC 2022 Bratislava Forum, which took place in Slovakia in June this year.
At the forum in June, EAM Jaishankar responded to the unwarranted accusations levelled against India's purchase of Russian oil during the conflict in Ukraine, which had a ripple impact on the global economy.
According to The Express Tribune, Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan's strong commitment to advancing its collaboration with Australia in a number of areas, including commerce, investment, agriculture, and livestock.
Additionally, he emphasised the importance of fortifying ties in the areas of direct air linkages, skilled immigration, and people-to-people exchanges.
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