Days after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s flip-flop on holding talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on all issues, India on Thursday said it always wanted normal neighbourly ties but Islamabad should stop cross- border terrorism.
Making India’s stand clear here, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “We have said that we have always wanted normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan. But there should be a conducive atmosphere which does not have terror, hostility or violence. That remains our position.”
His reaction came two days after Sharif said his country has learnt its lessons after three wars with India and sought “serious” and “sincere” talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for the resolution of the “burning” issues, including on Kashmir.
During an interview to the Dubai-based Al Arabiya news channel on Monday, he also said Pakistan wants to live in peace with India. However, later the Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad said “talks can only take place after India reversed its illegal action of August 5,2019. Without India’s revocation of this step, negotiations are not possible.”
Sharif said in the interview “My message to the Indian leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is that let us sit down on the table and have serious and sincere talks to resolve our burning issues like Kashmir.” Pakistan and India are neighbours and have to “live with each other,” he said.