Imran Khan writes to PM Narendra Modi, says Pakistan wants talks with India to resolve disputes

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a letter to PM Narendra Modi, on Friday said that Islamabad wants talks with New Delhi to resolve all reconcilable problems, including the Kashmir issue, according to a media report, a day after India said there will be no bilateral meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

In a letter to Narendra Modi congratulating him on his second term as the Prime Minister of India, Imran Khan said talks between the two nations were the only solution to help both countries' people overcome poverty and that it was important to work together for regional development, the Geo TV reported.

Imran Khan said Pakistan desires the resolution of all problems, including that of the Kashmir issue, it said.

This is the second time after Narendra Modi was re-elected to power that the Pakistani premier has expressed his desire to work together with India for the betterment of their peoples.

Tensions between the two countries worsened after the Pulwama terror attack and both the countries were almost on the brink of war after India's military planes struck a terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26 and Pakistan carried out a counter-offensive the next day.

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On May 26, breaking the ice in bilateral ties, Imran Khan spoke to Narendra Modi congratulating him on the massive electoral victory in the general elections and expressing his desire to work with him towards the advancing the objective of peace, progress, and prosperity in South Asia.

Narendra Modi on his part called for creating trust and an environment free of violence and terrorism for fostering peace and prosperity in the region. India has rejected Pakistan's offer of talks, maintaining that terror and talks cannot go together.

No bilateral meeting has been planned between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, the External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday in New Delhi.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also wrote to his new Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, saying that Islamabad wants talks with New Delhi on "all important matters" and remains committed to efforts for establishing peace in the region.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi told S Jaishankar in the letter that "Islamabad wants talks with New Delhi on all important matters and remains committed to efforts for establishing peace in the region," the Express Tribune reported quoting diplomatic sources.

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