Pakistan deputy prime minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday called for normalisation of his country's relations with India, stating that Pakistan does not believe in perpetual hostility. However, he added that Pakistan will also act against "ill-considered military misadventure by the ‘Hindutva’ driven dispensation in New Delhi."
Dar, who is also the foreign minister, said Pakistan wanted a peaceful resolution of the long-standing Jammu and Kashmir dispute. "Pakistan does not believe in perpetual hostility. We seek good-neighbourly relations with India on the basis of mutual respect, sovereign equality, and a just and peaceful resolution of the long-standing Jammu and Kashmir dispute."
He was addressing a founding anniversary of the government-run think tank when he made the overture. Dar's statement also marks Islamabad's openness to dialogues as the new government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes charge for the third time.
Dar said India and Pakistan owed peace to the people of South Asia to prioritise cooperation over discord, reported Dawn. "With the region lagging far behind on human development indices, beset by poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, disease, food and water scarcity, natural disasters, environmental degradation, and climate change," he stressed.
However, Dar said Pakistan will not acquiesce to unilateral dictates or permit any attempts at hegemony by India though it remained open to comprehensive dialogue on all outstanding issues. "We will also take every step needed to maintain strategic stability in South Asia and would respond effectively and decisively to any ill-considered military misadventure by the ‘Hindutva’ driven dispensation in New Delhi," Dar said.
The relations between the two countries hit an all-time low after Prime Minister Narendra Modi government abrogated Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. However, both heads of the state exchanged wishes on assuming power. While Modi congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on becoming the head of Pakistan's government, the latter took to X to congratulate Modi for taking oath as India's PM for a third successive term.
After Sharif came to power, prominent Pakistani business leaders have requested the leadership to restart trade talks with India, which they say would greatly benefit the cash-strapped country's economy.