New Delhi: In yet another peace overture, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has offered to hold talks with India to address all serious and outstanding issues as he said that "war is not an option" for both countries as they fight poverty and unemployment.
In his message at the celebration of the event on the 10th anniversary of the launch of the China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC) infrastructure projects, in Islamabad on Monday, Pakistan's PM said, “We have nothing against anybody, we have to look after our own ourselves, even with our neighbour. We are prepared to talk to them (India) provided that the neighbour is serious to talk (about) serious matters on the table because war is no more an option”.
"Pakistan is a nuclear power, not as an aggressor but for our defense purposes and we had three wars fought in the last 75 years. And what happened is it generated more poverty, unemployment, and a lack of resources to finance education, health, and well-being of the people. So if this is the way we have to adopt or to have more economic competition because if there is any nuclear flashpoint, who will need to tell what happened, so that is not an option".
He also raised the Kashmir issue and said, “It is deeply important that our neighbour has to understand that we cannot become ‘normal neighbours’ unless abnormalities are removed unless our serious issues are understood and addressed through peaceful and meaningful discussion”. His comments come as the bilateral ties between India and Pakistan are currently at an all-time low following a plethora of terror attacks blamed on Islamabad-based terror outfits.
Although there are no immediate words from Indian officials on the remarks by Shahbaz Sharif, New Delhi has maintained its stance that there cannot be any talks with Pakistan as long as there is state-sponsored terrorism, hostility, or violence from the Pakistani side. Pakistan’s consistent anti-India stance and interference in internal matters of the country and at the same time extending an olive branch to India for peace talks is not a new tactic on the world stage.
Pakistan is currently reeling under a severe economic crisis and therefore, is leaving no stone unturned to please the global community and build a positive image in the international arena. At the beginning of this year, Pakistan PM Sharif offered to hold talks with India and said that his country has learned a lesson after three wars with India and now wants to live in peace with India, provided “we can resolve our genuine problems.” Pakistan also wants to better use its scarce resources to tackle poverty and unemployment instead of buying military hardware, he added.
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