The HinduDialogue with India a ‘must’ to resolve conflicts: Imran Khan

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Bangla Tribune Desk
Published : 15:44, Aug 22, 2018 | Updated : 15:47, Aug 22, 2018

Front page of `The Hindu` on Wednesday (Aug 22).Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Imran Khan has said Islamabad and Delhi “must dialogue” to resolve their conflicts, including that of Jammu and Kashmir. His comments came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for constructive engagement with Pakistan.

In two tweets on Tuesday, Mr. Khan also came out in support of his friend and Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu’s presence at his swearing-in ceremony in Islamabad on Saturday. “I want to thank Sidhu for coming to Pakistan for my oath taking. He was an ambassador of peace & was given amazing love & affection by ppl of Pakistan. Those in India who targeted him are doing a gt disservice to peace in the subcontinent —without peace our ppl cannot progress,” he said.

“To move forward Pakistan and India must dialogue and resolve their conflicts incl Kashmir: The best way to alleviate poverty and uplift the people of the subcontinent is to resolve our differences through dialogue and start trading,” he said in a second tweet.

In Chandigarh, Mr. Sidhu hit out at the BJP for adopting “double standards” on his gesture of hugging Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

“When Mr. Narendra Modi became Prime Minister of India, he invited heads of SAARC nations including former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for the swearing-in ceremony. Mr. Sharif was accorded a warm welcome when he reached India. Not only this, Mr. Modi, with a hope in mind, had suddenly gone to Lahore to attend a family function of Mr. Sharif and greeted him without even any official formalities,” Mr Sidhu said

A warm invitation
Pointing out that his visit was not political but was in response to a “warm invitation” from a friend, he said, “Such things [visits] have happened before and also at times when there was tension between the two countries and when our jawans were martyred. But now I hope that the new political change in Pakistan is capable of bringing a constructive change in the region.”

“Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had gone to Lahore with a message of peace but what followed was the Kargil war. Five hundred twenty-seven Indian jawans attained martyrdom. Will you blame him?,” the cricketer-turned-politician asked.

“Then, Modi sahib went to Pakistan without even any official formalities and hugged former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif. Will you not call him a patriot?” he said, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to Lahore in 2015.

Mr Sidhu pointed out that after Also, Mr. Modi’s unannounced visit and later there was the terrorist attack in Pathankot. “But does that mean attempts to peace making were stopped?” he said, adding that talks between the two countries were the only possible way to end the conflicts.

On his meeting with Pakistan’s Army Chief Gen.Qamar Javed Bajwa, Mr. Sidhu said, “Gen. Bajwa met [me] with enthusiasm after seeing me sitting in the first row. He told me that they were making efforts to open the corridor from India’s Dera Baba Nanak to Kartarpur Sahib to facilitate the pilgrims to pay obeisance on the occasion of 550th “Parkash Diwas” of Guru Nanak Dev.”

“'It was an emotional moment for me and the result [hug] was for everyone to see, which was natural human reaction. Should I have turned my back?”' he asked, adding that he was disappointed and hurt over the criticism over this sudden meeting and a spontaneous emotional reaction.

Reacting to Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s adverse remarks on his gesture towards Gen. Bajwa, Pakistan’s Army Chief, Mr. Sidhu said he had great respect for his leader. “'I am not hurt. In a democracy everyone can express his view. If he has spoken against me that doesn’t mean that I also have to reply. I did what I felt was correct,” he said.

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