Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif asks PM Modi to ‘fix Kashmir conflict together’, calls for good ties with India
After he was elected for the top post by the national assembly, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif delivered his first speech in power, extending a hand of friendship to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to come together to “resolve the Kashmir issue.”
Calling for a good relationship with the neighbouring country, Sharif said that his government will raise the Jammu and Kashmir issue on every international platform. He said, “We want good ties with India but it cannot happen without a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir question.”
Extending an olive branch toward PM Narendra Modi, the newly-appointed Pakistan PM further asked the Indian PM to “understand that there is poverty on both the sides.” Sharif further added, “Neighbours are not a matter of choice, it is something you have to live with.”
During his first speech as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan, Sharif asked PM Modi to “come together to resolve the Kashmir issue according to the UN resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiris.” He further said that he wants an end to poverty on both sides, to create jobs, and to bring peace to the conflicted area.
After Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the new Pakistani PM by the national assembly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken to Twitter to congratulate him. PM Modi had written that India “desires peace” and to ensure the “prosperity of our people”.
Taking to Twitter, PM Modi had written, “Congratulations to H. E. Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on his election as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. India desires peace and stability in a region free of terror so that we can focus on our development challenges and ensure the well-being and prosperity of our people.”
Shehbaz Sharif, who is the younger brother of former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif, was elected to the top post by the national assembly on April 11. This motion took place a day after former PM Imran Khan was ousted through a no-confidence vote.
The chaos surrounding the last two weeks of the political crisis in Pakistan finally came to an end when Khan was dethroned by the opposition in a no-trust vote. Shehbaz Sharif further took the oath as the new PM on Monday, after sustaining the majority in the national assembly.