Fawad Chaudhry says Islamabad has stopped pushing for talks as it has no hopes from the present Indian leadership. PHOTO: FILE
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said Pakistan was willing to resume peace talks with India following elections in the neighbouring country.
Speaking to the Gulf News in an interview, the minister termed the current time unfit for talks due to the ongoing turmoil in Indian politics.
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“We have delayed our efforts to hold talks with India because we do not expect any big decision from the present Indian leadership,” said Fawad.
“It is useless to talk to them [India] now unless there is some stability. We will move forward once the new government is formed after the elections.”
Prime Minister Imran Khan invited India on multiple occasions for talks but New Delhi never responded positively. However, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had alleged that Islamabad was “not going to mend its ways of promoting cross-border terrorism any time soon”.
According to Fawad, the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor between India and Pakistan in November 2018, would not only help the Sikh community but would also improve Pak-Indian ties.
When asked which Indian leader Pakistan would prefer for peace talks, the minister said, “We [Pakistan] will respect any Indian leader and the party elected by the Indian people. And, we would like to move forward to hold dialogue with whosoever comes into power in India”.
Peace in Afghanistan
The information minister reiterated that Pakistan was playing its role at a fairly advanced level for the Afghan peace dialogue.
“Frankly, we expect a positive outcome from the negotiations between the US and Afghan Taliban,” added the information minister.
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US President Donald Trump also wrote a letter to PM Imran last year, seeking Islamabad’s help in facilitating a negotiated settlement of the lingering conflict in Afghanistan.
Fawad said a meeting between the premier and Trump was on the cards but it would be possible only after the peace talks.
“We are waiting to see this happen,” he added.
This story originally appeared on the Gulf News.
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