Shehbaz Sharif thanks PM Modi for felicitating him; says Pak desires 'peaceful and cooperative' ties with India

Sharif, however, emphasised that peaceful settlement of outstanding disputes including Jammu and Kashmir is indispensable

Pakistan’s “sacrifices” in fighting terrorism are “well-known”, Shehbaz Sharif, the country's new prime minister tweeted on Tuesday, replying to a congratulatory message from his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, who had called for “a region free of terror”.

Shehbaz also stressed that the “peaceful settlement” of the Pakistan-India dispute over Jammu and Kashmir was “indispensable” for cooperative ties between the two neighbouring nations.

“Pakistan desires peaceful & (and) cooperative ties with India. Peaceful settlement of outstanding disputes including Jammu & (and) Kashmir is indispensable. Pakistan's sacrifices in fighting terrorism are well-known,” Shehbaz posted on Twitter.

He defended Islamabad’s track record in fighting terrorism just hours after India and the United States jointly called on Pakistan to take immediate, sustained, and irreversible action to deny the use of the territory under its control for terrorist attacks.

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According to a joint statement after the India-US 2+2 dialogue early Tuesday, the two governments committed to continuing the exchange of information about sanctions and designations against terror groups and individuals, countering violent radicalism, use of the Internet for terrorist purposes, and cross-border movement of terrorists. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh joined the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin for the 2+2 dialogue.

Modi on Monday congratulated Shehbaz after he took over as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan, succeeding Imran Khan, who was ousted from the office through a no-trust motion in the National Assembly of the country in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday. “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,” Modi tweeted, congratulating the new Prime Minister.

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“Let's secure peace and focus on the socio-economic development of our people,” Shehbaz replied to Modi on Tuesday.

The president of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) has been repeatedly raising the issue of J&K ever since his ascent to the office of the prime minister of his country was confirmed.

He alleged in a speech in the National Assembly of the neighbouring country on Monday that the blood of Kashmiris had been flowing on the roads of Kashmir after New Delhi had stripped the state of its special status and reorganized it into two different union territories on August 5, 2019. He vowed that the new Government of Pakistan would continue to provide political, diplomatic and moral support to the people of J&K and raise voices for them in every forum.

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India has maintained that the onus was on Pakistan to create a conducive atmosphere for talks by taking effective action to stop the export of terror to India.

India has also been expressing its desire for normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan and reaffirming its commitment to addressing outstanding issues, if any, bilaterally and peacefully in accordance with the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration.

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