Pakistan ready to hold talks with new Indian govt for peace, prosperity of region, says Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi

Islamabad: Pakistan is ready to hold talks with the new Indian government to resolve all outstanding issues, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said. Addressing an iftar dinner in Multan on Saturday, Qureshi said both India and Pakistan should sit on a negotiation table to resolve issues for the sake of prosperity and peace of the region, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. [caption id=“attachment_5237871” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Reuters[/caption] His remarks came two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday led his Bharatiya Janata Party towards a super-sized victory for a second term in office. Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday congratulated Modi on his electoral triumph and expressed desire to work with him for peace and prosperity in the region. “I congratulate Prime Minister Modi on the electoral victory of BJP and allies. Look forward to working with him for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia,” Khan had tweeted in both English and Urdu. In April, Khan said he believed there may be a better chance of peace talks with India and settle the Kashmir issue if Modi’s party won the general elections. The results of India’s general elections are very significant for Pakistan as the new government in New Delhi will determine the course of Indo-Pakistan ties, which were pushed to a new low after the Pulwama terror attack. Just a day before the announcement of results, Qureshi and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday exchanged pleasantries on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. He conveyed to her Pakistan’s desire to resolve all issues through dialogue. Tensions flared up between India and Pakistan after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir’s Pulwama district on 14 February. Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting the biggest JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on 26 February. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured an IAF pilot, who was handed over to India.