"Have learnt our lesson": Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif's message to India; his office clarifies

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has come up with a statement that can be viewed as a major climbdown from the country's earlier stance towards India. Sharif said his country had "learned its lesson" after three wars with India and now wanted to live in peace.

Abu Dhabi:Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for "serious and sincere talks" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on "burning points like Kashmir" in an interview where he showed signs of a massive climbdown from the country's tough stance in the past towards India.

In an interview with Dubai-based Al Arabiya TV, Sharif said that Pakistan has "learned its lesson" after three wars with India and stressed that now it wants peace with its neighbour. "We have had three wars with India, and they have only brought more misery, poverty, and unemployment to the people...We have learnt our lesson, and we want to live in peace with India, provided we are able to resolve our genuine problems," Sharif said in the interview that was aired on Monday.

He invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talks and said the two countries needed to resolve "burning issues like Kashmir". "My message to the Indian leadership and Prime Minister Modi is that let's sit down at the table and have serious and sincere talks to resolve our burning issues like Kashmir where flagrant violations of human rights are taking place day in and day out. They (India) usurped whatever semblance of autonomy was given to Kashmiris. They revoked Article 370 in August 2019. Minorities over there are being grossly mishandled...This must stop," Sharif said.

He was clear in his message to UAE as well about playing a mediator for the two countries. "We are both nuclear powers...God forbid if a war takes place, who will live to tell what happened...I have requested my brother His highness president Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He has good relations with India and UAE has brotherly relations with Pakistan as well. UAE can play a very important role to bring the two countries to the talking table. I give my word of honour that we will be talking to Indians with sincerity of purpose but it takes two to tango," the Pakistan Prime Minister said.

His statement comes amid Pakistan battling a severe economic crisis and public discontent against the ruling regime due to flour crisis and fuel shortage. The country is also faced with rising instances of terror attacks by the proscribed outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which had ended a ceasefire with the country's security forces late last year.

"India is our neighbour country, we are neighbours. Let's be very blunt, even if we are not neighbours by choice we are there forever and it is up to us for us to live peacefully and progress or quarrel with each other and waste time and resources. That is up to us," Sharif said in the interview.

Pakistan PMO issues clarification

A day after the interview was aired, Pakistan Prime Minister's Office issued clarifications over it on their official Twitter handle on Tuesday. "In ref. to PM Shehbaz Sharif's interview to Al Arabiya, the spokesman of the PM Office has said the PM has consistently maintained that Pakistan & India must resolve their bilateral issues, especially the core issue of Jammu & Kashmir, through dialogue and peaceful means," read the Pak PMO's tweet.

"However, the Prime Minister has repeatedly stated on record that talks can only take place after India has reversed its illegal action of August 5, 2019. Without India's revocation of this step, negotiations are not possible. The settlement of the Kashmir dispute must be in accordance with the UN resolutions & aspirations of people of Jammu & Kashmir. The Spokesman said that the Prime Minister made this position very clear in his interview with Al Arabiya news during his recent visit to the UAE," the office tweeted.