Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Bats For Peace With India Again

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on Wednesday, once again extended an olive branch to India, calling for dialogue to resolve long-standing issues, including Kashmir, water sharing, and terrorism.

The ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbours has hit a new low following the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22.

Speaking at the Pakistan-Turkiye-Azerbaijan Trilateral Summit in Lachin, Azerbaijan - alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev - Sharif urged both nations to sit down "for peace."

This renewed pitch for talks comes in the backdrop of India's strong military and diplomatic response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26. India's Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation on May 7, targeted nine terror launchpads in Pakistan and PoK, while the Indian Air Force demolished 11 Pakistani airbases following Islamabad's failed airstrikes on May 8, 9, and 10. The situation began to calm after both nations agreed to cease military actions during a DGMO-level meeting on May 10.

Sharif's remarks in Azerbaijan marked his second outreach to India within a week. While in Tehran on Monday, he had made a similar appeal, stating: "We must sit together and talk for the sake of peace... There are issues that demand immediate attention and must be addressed through dialogue," Dawn quoted the Pakistan PM as saying.

He further added: "I have said in all humility that we want peace in the region[...] and that requires talks on the table on issues which need urgent attention and amicable resolution, that is the issue of Kashmir according to the resolutions of the United Nations and the Security Council and as per the aspirations of the people of Kashmir."

Sharif also conveyed Pakistan's willingness to engage on terrorism, stating, "I have said in all earnest that if India wants to talk on countering terrorism in sincerity of purpose, Pakistan would be willing to talk to India on this issue as well." He also stressed the need to resume trade ties and criticised India's suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, calling it crucial for Pakistan's drinking and agricultural needs.