Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan stated today that he would want to hold a televised discussion with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in order to settle disputes between the two countries.
Thereafter obtaining independence 75 years ago and having three wars since, India and Pakistan have had tense ties.
He would love to debate with Narendra Modi on TV, Imran Khan said in an interview with Russia Today, adding that it would be helpful for the Indian subcontinent’s billion-plus people if issues could be handled via dialogue.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately reply to Reuters’ request for comment.
In recent times, India has made it plain to Pakistan that “terror and negotiations cannot coexist,” asking that Pakistan crack down on terror organisations and prosecute terrorists, some of whom have been classified as such by the United Nations.
India requests that Pakistan stop cross-border terrorism, which Pakistan blamed on “non-state actors” who freely reside and operate in Pakistan and territories under its unlawful occupation in Kashmir.
Aside from the 2008 Mumbai terror assault, India has also demanded Pakistan to start cracking down on terrorists and terror organisations involved for the 2016 Pathankot terror strike, which killed seven security officials, and the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, which killed over 40 Indian troops.
Following the Pathankot terror incident, the Indian Army conducted a surgical strike on terror launch sites across the Line of Control. Following the terror incident in Pulwama, the Indian Air Force also conducted out an airstrike on terror camps in Balakot.
India has consistently informed Pakistan that discussion can only take place in a terror-free environment. Before negotiations can take place, New Delhi has urged Islamabad to provide evidence of its anti-terrorist crackdown.
Imran Khan’s words mirror similar sentiments made recently by Pakistan’s senior commercial officer, Razzak Dawood, who told journalists that trade links with India will benefit both countries.
Imran Khan stated that Pakistan’s regional economic choices were already constrained, citing US sanctions against Iran and Afghanistan’s decades-long conflict.
Imran Khan’s interview comes on the day of his trip to Moscow, where he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin – the first visit to Russia by a Pakistani politician in two decades.
The two-day visit for business cooperation talks was arranged prior to the present Ukraine situation.