Shehbaz Sharif, the newly appointed Prime Minister of Pakistan, thanked his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday for his felicitations, a day after he was sworn in as the new premier of the country.In a tweet, the younger Sharif said “Pakistan’s sacrifices in fighting terrorism are well-known” as expressed hopes to settle all disputes with India, including Kashmir. “Pakistan desires peaceful and cooperative ties with India. Peaceful settlement of outstanding disputes including Jammu and Kashmir is indispensable,” he said.
Earlier on Monday, PM Modi had congratulated Shehbaz on his election as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan and said India desires “peace and stability in a region free of terror” so that both countries can focus on its development challenges.
Congratulations to H.E. Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on his election as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. India desires peace and stability in a region free of terror, so that we can focus on our development challenges and ensure the well-being and prosperity of our people,” PM Modi had tweeted.
Shehbaz, 70, is a three-time Chief Minister of Punjab and the younger brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He, along with former President Asif Ali Zardari and his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, was at the forefront to topple Imran Khan’s government in the country.
His appointment as the Prime Minister of Pakistan can help Islamabad and New Delhi reset their frozen diplomatic talks which have been stalled for the past two years, believe experts.
In his first speech as Pakistan PM, Shehbaz on Monday had raked up the Kashmir issue and said peace between India and Pakistan would not be possible without the resolution on the matter.
Speaking about the abrogation of Article 370 in the Valley, the 70-year-old had said Pakistan will offer “diplomatic and moral support” to “Kashmiri brothers and sisters” and also bringing up the matter at each global forum.
“Why do we want to disadvantage our coming generations? Let’s decide the Kashmir issue in accordance with the desires of the Kashmiri people, and let’s end the conflict on both sides, create employment, progress and happiness,” Sharif had said.
