Those in India who targeted [Sidhu] are doing a great disservice to peace in the subcontinent.”
ISLAMABAD Pakistans newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday invited India to hold dialogue and pursue peace, terming it as the “best way to alleviate poverty and uplift the people of the subcontinent”.
Dawn News reported that two tweets from the official handle of Khan, which included a note of gratitude to long time friend Navjot Singh Sidhu for attending PM Khan’s inauguration on a special invitation, reiterated the new prime minister’s belief that “without peace our people cannot progress.”
Embedded rich media on Twitter
Addressing sections of the Indian media, politicians and civil society who have been criticising Sidhu for visiting Pakistan, PM Khan said: “Those in India who targeted him [Sidhu] are doing a great disservice to peace in the subcontinent.”
“He was an ambassador of peace and was given amazing love and affection by people of Pakistan,” the prime minister wrote.
“To move forward, Pakistan and India must dialogue and resolve their conflicts, including Kashmir,” the premier was quoted as saying.
“The best way to alleviate poverty and uplift the people of the subcontinent is to resolve our differences through dialogue and start trading.”
The Khan led PTI government had also extended an olive branch to India a day earlier, when newly-appointed Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had made clear that he would pursue dialogue with the neighbouring rival as a way forward.
“Us coming to the table and talking peace is our only option. We need to stop the adventurism and come together. We know the issues are tough and will not be solved overnight, but we have to engage,” Qureshi had said. “We cannot turn our cheek. Yes we have outstanding issues. Kashmir is a reality; it is an issue that both our nations acknowledge.”
“We need a continued and uninterrupted dialogue. This is our only way forward,” he had stressed.
“We may have a different approach and line of thinking, but I want to see a change in how we behave,” he had added. “India and Pakistan have to move forward keeping realities before them.”
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