Nawaz optimistic about Indo-Pak ties

Says it would be great if Indian PM Modi had attended SCO summit

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed optimism about restoring Pakistan's ties with India and meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview with an Indian journalist, Barkha Dutt, on the eve of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

Pakistan is hosting the summit between October 15 and October 16. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is scheduled to attend the conference.

Talking to Dutt with reference to Pakistan-India ties, Nawaz said he has always been a supporter of good relations with India. "I hope that there is an opportunity to revive our relationship,"

The PML-N president, who served as the country's prime minister three times. did not agree to appear on camera but spoke to Dutt on record. The journalist later shared the contents of the interview on a YouTube channel.

Butt quoted Nawaz as saying that: "It would have been a great thing if PM Modi had also attended the SCO summit here in Pakistan. I do hope that he (Modi) and us will have an opportunity to sit together in the not-so-distant future."

In 2023, Nawaz expressed his intention to normalize Pakistan's ties with its neighbouring countries, particularly India. "We will have to improve our relations with India, Afghanistan, and Iran. We need to ensure stronger relations with China," he had said.

The former PM had recalled that during his government's tenures, two Indian prime ministers—Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999 and Narendra Modi in 2015 had visited Pakistan. "Modi Sahib and Vajpayee Sahib came here (on my invitation). Did anyone come here before them?" he asked.

When Modi was re-elected for a landmark third term in office, both Nawaz and his brother, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, congratulated the Indian premier. "Your party's success in recent elections reflects the confidence of the people in your leadership," Nawaz had said in a post on X.

"Let us replace hate with hope and seize the opportunity to shape the destiny of the two billion people of South Asia," he had added. Hours later, PM Modi responded to the two, thanking PM Shehbaz for his "good wishes".

Modi had appreciated the message by Nawaz Sharif. He said: "The people of India have always stood for peace, security and progressive ideas. Advancing the well-being and security of our people shall always remain our priority."

India-Pakistan relations have been complex and strained since their partition in 1947, primarily due to the long-standing territorial dispute over Jammu and Kashmir.