Pakistan PM Offers Peace Talk on Kashmir

Aakhir Tak – In Shorts

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has extended a new peace overture to India. He stated that Pakistan desires to engage in discussions with India regarding all issues, including Kashmir. Sharif urged India to move past the mindset of August 5, 2019. He emphasized the need to honor commitments made at the UN and initiate dialogue. India has consistently affirmed that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were, are, and will forever remain an integral part of the country.

Aakhir Tak – In Depth

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated on Wednesday that Pakistan aims to resolve all issues, including Kashmir, through dialogue with India. This represents a fresh peace overture from Pakistan regarding the Kashmir issue. Sharif’s offer came during his address at a special session of the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) Assembly in Muzaffarabad on “Kashmir Solidarity Day.” He emphasized, “We want all issues, including Kashmir, to be resolved through talks.” Shehbaz Sharif seeks engagement on this long-standing dispute.

Sharif remarked that “India should come out of the thinking of August 5, 2019, and fulfil promises made to the UN and launch a dialogue”. His comments alluded to the abrogation of Article 370, which revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and divided the state into two Union Territories. Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained for a considerable time.

New Delhi has consistently conveyed to Islamabad that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh “was, is and shall forever” remain an integral part of the country. Bilateral relations, already strained, deteriorated further following India’s revocation of Article 370. Sharif suggested that the only way to mend strained ties between India and Pakistan was through dialogue, as outlined in the Lahore Declaration of 1999, signed during then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit to Pakistan. India has clarified that it desires normal, neighborly relations with Pakistan in an environment devoid of terror, hostility, and violence.

Sharif accused India of accumulating weapons, asserting that it would not foster peace in the region. He urged India to be “wise” and emphasized that the sole path forward was peace. He maintained that the only solution to the Kashmir issue was “the right of self-determination” under UN resolutions. Pakistan has repeatedly raised the Kashmir issue at the UN, but has failed to garner broader UN membership support, which views the matter as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan.

Efforts are being made to restart discussions regarding Kashmir to foster peace between the two nations.

Aakhir Tak – Key Takeaways to Remember

• Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif offers a new peace proposal on the Kashmir issue.
• Sharif urged India to move past the mindset of August 5, 2019.
• India has consistently affirmed that Jammu and Kashmir are integral parts of the country.
• Relations between India and Pakistan remain strained.

Aakhir Tak Editor-in-Chief

See Full Bio