Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
| Picture Credit score: PTI

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif in a latest dialogue with The Hindu expressed hope for enhancing relations with India, suggesting that each international locations ought to “choose up the threads of our dialog” and transfer ahead nearly as good neighbours.

Mr. Sharif praised the visit of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, calling it a constructive step. “We’d have preferred Mr. Modi to return, but it surely was good that Mr. Jaishankar got here,” he mentioned, stressing that dialogue and collaboration must be the best way ahead.

Mr. Sharif reiterated the significance of not letting the subsequent 70 years be marred by the conflicts of the previous. He emphasised the necessity for each India and Pakistan to sit down down and focus on their variations, including that neither nation might change its neighbours. He highlighted the potential of bilateral cooperation in areas like commerce, business, and electrical energy, reflecting on previous conversations with former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

When requested about delicate points like Kashmir and Article 370, Mr. Sharif declined to remark, stating that it was not the best event to debate these issues. He urged each side to maneuver previous their historic grievances and give attention to the longer term, underscoring the immense potential each nations maintain because of their appreciable populations.

He additionally spoke concerning the significance of non-public gestures in diplomacy, recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s go to to Pakistan in 2015 and the way such moments shouldn’t be missed. In distinction, he expressed disappointment over the tone of remarks made by former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, which he believed broken the connection between the 2 nations.

With reference to cricket, he questioned the present follow of groups from India and Pakistan not taking part in in one another’s international locations, regardless of competing elsewhere globally. He supported the thought of India sending a staff to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, noting that this sentiment resonated with him.

Maryam Nawaz, daughter of Mr. Sharif, shared her expertise of receiving love and affection from Indian pilgrims throughout her go to to Kartarpur. She expressed a want to go to India, notably Punjab, with the chief encouraging her to additionally discover Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.

Reflecting on his private ties to India, the chief recounted a childhood go to to Amritsar in 1964 along with his father, throughout which he visited their former household house, now a part of a gurdwara.

The chief concluded by advocating for a practical strategy to the longer term, stating, “The previous is the previous. We should always consider the subsequent 75 years,” urging for higher ties between the 2 international locations.