In an interview with the Al Arabiya news station, PM Shehbaz remarked, “My message to the Indian leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is that let us sit down on the table and have serious and sincere talks to resolve our burning issues like Kashmir.”
He added that India had stolen any pretence of the autonomy granted to the Kashmiris in accordance with Article 370 of the Indian Constitution and that egregious human rights violations were occurring daily in Kashmir.
“In Kashmir, flagrant human rights violations are taking place day in and day out.”
Shehbaz Sharif also stated that Pakistan and India were neighbours and have to coexist.
PM remarked that “It is up to us to live peacefully and make progress or quarrel with each other, and waste time and resources. We have three wars with India and it only brought more misery, poverty and unemployment to the people. We have learnt our lesson and we want to live in peace provided we can resolve our genuine problems”.
He stated, “We are nuclear powers, armed to the teeth and if God forbid a war breaks out who will live to tell what happened.”
“We want to alleviate poverty, achieve prosperity, and provide education and health facilities and employment to our people and not waste our resources on bombs and ammunition, that is the message I want to convey to PM Modi,” he asserted.
He claimed that Saudi Arabia was a kind and fraternal nation where they had long-standing, exceptional brotherly relations.
He noted that millions of Muslims had cordial ties with Saudi Arabia and were travelling to Makkah and Medina before Pakistan was created and split off from India.
Millions of Pakistanis, according to PM Shehbaz, consider the UAE to be a second home, and he described his successful tour there as a prime minister.
He claimed that Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed was a devoted brother who supported Pakistan and wished for its people to flourish and succeed. Pakistan was also a dear friend of Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan’s, and Pakistan was in his soul.
“Leadership of Pakistan and Gulf countries have resolved to cooperate with each other in the realm of trade and culture and project Islam as a religion of peace and shun all forms of terrorism. We are working together as strategic partners.”
