Prime Minister Shehbaz pens letter to Modi, says peace between Pakistan and India is essential for regional progress

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote a letter on Sunday to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling for the settlement of the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir in the “interest of mutual peace and prosperity” for India and Pakistan. Modi felicitated the PM on his election as Prime Minister on April 11 and stated India’s desire for peace and stability in the region.

Prime Minister Shehbaz had returned the gesture and said that Pakistan wanted “peaceful and cooperative ties” with India in which a solution to the Kashmir conflict was “essential” In Sunday’s letter, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his gratitude to his Indian counterpart for his kind wishes and stated that Pakistan remained “engaged in maintaining regional peace and security”.

According to the letter, Pakistan’s sacrifices and contribution to the fight and elimination of terrorism are “well known and internationally acknowledged”. “We believe that peaceful and cooperative ties between Pakistan and India are imperative for the progress and socioeconomic uplift of our people and for the region’’. “This can be best achieved through meaningful engagement and peaceful resolution of all outstanding disputes, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir,” PM Shehbaz wrote. He called on Modi to collectively ensure peace and to work in favour of the “progress and prosperity of our people”.