What PM Imran Khan wrote to PM Narendra Modi
Talks between Islamabad, New Delhi only way for countries to overcome poverty, Imran says
Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday wrote a letter to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi offering dialogue to reconcilable problems.
In a letter to Modi congratulating him on his second term as prime minister, Imran wrote that Pakistan desires the resolution of all problems, including that of the disputed Kashmir region, Geo TV reported.
He further added that talks between the two nations were the only solution to help both countries’ people overcome poverty and that it was important to work together for regional development.
Pakistan, Imran wrote, wished for peace in the South Asian region and that, alongside stability, were required for the states as well as the region to move forward, the report said.
Modi returned to office as prime minister for the second time on May 30.
Dialogue
On Thursday, India’s foreign ministry had said no meeting between PM Imran Khan and Modi was scheduled on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.
“To the best of my knowledge, no meeting is being arranged between Prime Minister Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the SCO meet,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said.
Talks about dialogue between Pakistan and India started gaining momentum after Imran had earlier congratulated Modi on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s electoral victory in the Lok Sabha elections.
Imran had expressed his desire for the two countries to work together for the betterment of their people.
'Peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia'
In a tweet earlier, he had congratulated Modi, saying he looked forward to working for “peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia”.
Modi had responded in a Twitter post, thanking PM Khan for his “good wishes” and saying he, too, wanted peace in the region.
The messages came just hours after Pakistan said it tested a surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of carrying conventional and nuclear warheads.
India tested its latest supersonic cruise missile on Wednesday.