Resolving Kashmir Dispute Indispensable For Peace, Pakistan PM Tells India

By Shakir Husain NEW DELHI, April 12 (Bernama) -- Resolving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is essential to achieve peace, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday. Shehbaz said this in response to the Indian prime minister's congratulatory message on Monday in which the latter expressed India's desire to have peace and stability in the region. "Thank you Premier Narendra Modi for felicitations. Pakistan desires peaceful and cooperative ties with India," he said. "Peaceful settlement of outstanding disputes including Jammu & Kashmir is indispensable. Pakistan's sacrifices in fighting terrorism are well-known. Let's secure peace and focus on socio-economic development of our people," the new Pakistan prime minister said. In his message to Shehbaz, Modi said earlier: "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." The 75-year-old dispute over Jammu and Kashmir continues to bedevil relations between the two nuclear-armed nations. Relations between India and Pakistan have worsened since August 2019, when India revoked the decades-old limited autonomous status of Kashmir. -- BERNAMA