Imran Khan writes to Modi seeking resumption of bilateral talks
Pakistan's new Prime Minister Imran Khan has written a letter to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi seeking to restart bilateral talks on key issues "challenging the relationship" including on terrorism and Kashmir, Pakistan's Foreign Office said. Khan proposed a meeting between Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York this month.
Khan says Pakistan and India have 'undeniably challenging relationship'
Pakistan and India have an "undeniably challenging relationship," PM Khan said in the letter dated September 14, while responding to Narendra Modi's letter to him on August 18. In the letter to Khan, the Indian Prime Minister conveyed India's commitment to pursue "meaningful" and "constructive" engagement with Pakistan and emphasizing the need to work for a terror-free South Asia.
We await formal response from India: Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson
Khan also thanked Narendra Modi for his warm greetings
In the letter to Modi, Khan wrote, "We, however, owe it to our peoples, especially the future generations, to peacefully resolve all outstanding issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, to bridge differences and achieve a mutually beneficial outcome." Khan also thanked Prime Minister Modi for his "warm greetings" and best wishes on his assumption of charge as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
India, Pakistan relationship nosedived since January 2016
The two Foreign Ministers (Qureshi and Swaraj) could explore the way forward, Khan said, adding that the SAARC Summit in Islamabad "will offer an opportunity for you to visit Pakistan and for us to re-start the stalled dialogue process". Ties between India and Pakistan nose-dived following a spate of terror attacks on Indian military bases by Pakistan based terror groups since January 2016.
