In an effort to restart stalled talks between Pakistan and India, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday once again extended an offer to their Indian counterparts Narendra Modi and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, respectively, to resolve reconcilable issues between the two nuclear armed neighbours.
According to sources, PM Imran Khan in a letter to Indian PM Modi congratulated him on his second term as the prime minister of India following general elections. Khan wrote that Pakistan desires the resolution of all issues including that of Kashmir.
If Indian government accepts the Pakistani offer, a meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is possible on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek which is scheduled for June 13-14.
The Premier further added that talks between the two nations are the only solution to help both countries' people overcome poverty and that it is important to work together for regional development.
Khan wished for peace in the South Asian region and wrote that peace and stability are required for the states as well as the region to move forward.
Modi had assumed premiership of India for the second time on May 30, 2019.
Premier Khan in a tweet, earlier, congratulated Modi and said he looked forward to working for "peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia". Modi responding in a Twitter message thanked PM Imran for his "good wishes" and saying that he wanted peace in the region.
PM Imran Khan expressed his desire for both countries to work together for the betterment of their peoples and reiterated his vision for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia.
Sources further said that FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi in his letter to his newly-appointed Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has reiterated Pakistan's willingness to hold talks with New Delhi on all issues for establishing peace in the region.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a major cabinet reshuffle after winning elections has named Jaishankar as India's external affairs minister on May 31 replacing Sushma Swaraj.
Meanwhile, according to media reports, the Indian Foreign Ministry has said that no meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek.
"To the best of my knowledge, no meeting is being arranged between Prime Minister Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the SCO meet," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
Talks about dialogue between Pakistan and India started gaining momentum after Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated his Indian counterpart on his party's electoral victory in Lok Sabha elections. Both India and Pakistan became members of the SCO in 2017, joining the forum founded in 2001 by Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
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