Ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif on Friday said he was looking forward to it to make a “new beginning” and re-engage with India in a “substantive and purposeful dialogue.”
Addressing the UN General Assembly, he also raked up the Kashmir issue calling for a solution of the problem in accordance with the UN resolutions on the matter. “I am looking forward to meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here in New York to make a new beginning. We have a solid basis to do that,” Sharif said.
Sharif, who is scheduled to meet Singh on Sunday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, said: “We stand ready to re-engage with India in a substantive and purposeful dialogue.” A strong proponent of better ties with India, Sharif said, “Pakistan and India can prosper together; and the entire region would benefit from our cooperation.”
“Our two countries have wasted massive resources in an arms race. We could have used those resources for the economic well-being of our people. We still have that opportunity,” he said. “I am committed to working for a peaceful and economically prosperous region. This is what our people want and this is what I have long aspired for,” he added.
Raising the Kashmir issue, Sharif said the UN “must continue to remain attentive to the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and the full realisation of the right to self-determination of its people. The suffering of the people cannot be brushed under the carpet, because of power politics.” Sharif said the UN has to “a critical role” to play in resolving “festering disputes”.
“As in the past, Pakistan calls upon the international community to give an opportunity to the Kashmiris to decide their future peacefully, in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions. The issue of Jammu and Kashmir was presented to the Security Council in January 1948; and yet the issue remains unresolved after nearly seven decades.”
Sharif said Pakistan and India have a solid basis to re-engage and prosper together. “We can build on the lahore Accord signed in 1999, which contained a road map for the resolution of our differences through peaceful negotiations,” he said, adding he personally has an aspiration for “regional peace and stability.”
“Shortly after assuming office, I received a message of goodwill from the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh. I extended an invitation to him to engage with us to address all outstanding issues between our two countries. PM Singh’s response was positive,” he said.