ISLAMABAD, August 3 (APP):Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) (India Chapter) has welcomed the statement of PTI’s chairman and Prime Minister-in-waiting Imran Khan that his government will “want to improve its relations with India” and urged the Indian government to respond positively.
In his victory speech the PTI chairman Imran Khan had made it clear that he would like the leaders of India and Pakistan to resolve all disputes, including the “core issue” of Jammu and Kashmir, through dialogue, and that the blame game between the two neighbours, detrimental to the subcontinent, should stop, a press release of RIPFPD reaching here Friday from New Delhi said.
The members of the forum said the statement of Khan was significant particularly in the context that India and Pakistan relationship has reached its all-time low in recent years with no bilateral talks taking place.
They said the Indian government must engage with the newly elected government of Pakistan to assure return to normalcy and positive engagement.
The importance of resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan cannot be overemphasized, the statement said, adding that it was an absolute necessity for the normalization of relationship between India and Pakistan.
“We urge the government of India to respond positively to Pakistan’s Prime Minister designate, Imran Khan’s invitation to dialogue for resolving all disputes, adding we believe a positive response will ease out the current negative visa and trade regime and will also save the miserable lives of hundreds of fish workers and other prisoners, in each other’s prisons.”
The statement said an unconditional and open dialogue, was the way forward, .
Pakistan on Thursday welcomed Prime Minister Modi’s phone call to Prime Minister-elect Imran Khan, calling it a “positive conversation”.
The Foreign Office Spokesperson said, “We hope that in the coming days both sides can come together to address key concerns in what is admittedly a difficult relationship. We also hope that this positive conversation can lead to the resumption of the Composite Bilateral Dialogue and holding of SAARC Summit in Pakistan,” he said.