Imran Khan dials Narendra Modi, expresses desire for India and Pakistan to work together for 'betterment of people'

Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan on Sunday spoke to Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi over the phone and expressed desire for India and Pakistan to work together for betterment of their people. Dr Mohammad Faisal, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, tweeted that Khan congratulated Modi on the BJP’s electoral victory in the Lok Sabha elections. “PM (Khan) expressed his desire for both countries to work together for betterment of their peoples,” Faisal said in his tweet. [caption id=“attachment_5494561” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan. Reuters[/caption] “Reiterating his vision for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia, the prime minister said he looked forward to working with Prime Minister Modi to advance these objectives,” Faisal further said. Earlier on the same day, Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Pakistan is ready to hold talks with the new Indian government to resolve all outstanding issues. 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. On Thursday too, Khan had 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 had 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 had 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. With inputs from PTI