“Absolutely willing to talk to India,” says PM Shehbaz at CICA summit

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that, he was “absolutely willing and ready” to talk with India for the sake of regional peace and prosperity, but India has to take steps for serious, meaningful and fruitful talks.
Addressing the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Kazakhstan, he said, “I am absolutely ready for serious talks with our Indian counterparts, provided they are sincere in this cause and show that they are ready to discuss issues that have driven distance between us for decades.”
He lamented that the issues keeping the two countries apart from each other hindered the promotion of bilateral trade and investment.
“It needs to be stopped,” he asserted, but it is India’s responsibility to take necessary steps for meaningful and productive engagement.
Shahbaz Sharif said that Pakistan wanted peaceful relations with all neighboring countries including India, added that, for 7 decades India has been ignoring the UN agreements regarding Kashmir.
“Today India has become a threat to its minorities, neighboring countries, the region and itself, yet we are ready to talk to India because we cannot afford more poverty and unemployment in the region,” the premier added.
PM stressed that, “we need to allocate more resources to provide health, education and employment to our people. We are ready to talk with India but India needs to take steps for serious, meaningful and fruitful talks.”