'Premature to..': Pakistan on not congratulating Modi after polls
Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) on Friday expressed hope that the newly elected Indian government will foster peace and address the long-standing Kashmir dispute. FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch stated that the neighboring country hopes India will take steps to create a conducive environment for the advancement of peace and dialogue. However, when asked if Pakistan had congratulated Narendra Modi on his election victory, she said it was "premature" to comment because the new administration has yet to be sworn in.
Right of the people of India to decide: Pakistan
"It is the right of the people of India to decide about their own leadership. We do not have any comments on their electoral process," she said. She acknowledged a decline in relations between the two countries since Modi first took office in 2014. Baloch cited his move to revoke Occupied Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy status in 2019 as particularly problematic, claiming it "vitiated the bilateral environment."
Pakistan advocates for constructive dialogue with India
Baloch further emphasized that despite the challenges and hostile rhetoric from India, Pakistan has consistently chosen a responsible response. She stated, "Pakistan has always desired cooperative relations with all its neighbors including India. We have consistently advocated constructive dialogue and engagement to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir."
India 'never closed doors to talking to Pakistan': Jaishankar
India, on its part, has maintained that it desires cordial ties with Pakistan while insisting that it is up to Islamabad to create an environment that is free of terror and hostility for such an engagement. Earlier this year, Foreign Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that while India "never closed doors to talking to Pakistan," the terrorist issue should be "fair, square at the center of the conversation."
