In response to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s wish to normalize relations with India, India has again put a condition before resuming talks.
On Thursday, the Indian foreign ministry’s spokeswoman told state-run ANI that a “conducive atmosphere free of terror” is essential for discussions with Pakistan.
“We have always desired normal neighborly ties with Pakistan,” said Indian foreign ministry spokeswoman Arindam Bagchi.
Four days earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told Al Arabiya news station that he wanted “serious and real negotiations” with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tackle the burning issues with New Delhi, especially Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
“Let us get down and have genuine and sincere conversations to tackle our burning concerns like Kashmir,” the premier urged.
In a Twitter message a day earlier, former Prime Minster and chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan lambasted the Prime Minister saying, ” When those who worship money & are devoid of any ideology or belief system, are put at the helm of affairs then this is the shameful result. Not only is he clueless about why our founding fathers struggled and sacrificed to achieve the dream of Pakistan, but to get the backing of the. Indian lobby, he is also ready to bury the Kashmiri freedom struggle in which over 100k Kashmiris have given their lives.”
