Pakistan PM Imran Khan writes to Indian PM Narendra Modi to resume peace dialogue

Pakistan Prime Minister and former cricketer Imran Khan has written to PM Narendra Modi seeking to resume peace dialogues between the two nations. Khan specifically wrote to PM Modi with an eagerness to organize a meeting between the two foreign ministers Sushma Swaraj and Shah Mehmood Qureshi. He hopes the two ministers can meet and discuss the peace agenda on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York which is due to take place later this month.

Earlier, PM Narendra Modi had himself expressed his intentions to hold a ‘meaningful and constructive’ engagement between the two countries. This move from Modi came close on the heels of Imran Khan’s statement in his election victory speech where he mentioned that Pakistan would respond with two steps to any step that India takes for normalisation of ties.

Recent developments between India and Pakistan

In his letter to PM Narendra Modi, Imran Khan called for the resumption of comprehensive bilateral talks between the two nations which were initially launched in December 2015. However, they were held off following the attack on the Pathankot airbase. Khan also mentioned that both India and Pakistan should strive to resolve all major issues, including terrorism and the dispute over Kashmir. Khan had earlier tweeted, “To move forward Pakistan and India must dialogue and resolve their conflicts including Kashmir.” India last had a significant engagement with Pakistan in December 2015 when Sushma Swaraj travelled to Islamabad for a Heart of Asia conference.

Cricket has also taken a toll due to political differences between the two countries. India and Pakistan, arch-rivals in international cricket, now only play in ICC tournaments such as the World Cup or the World T20, and in the Asia Cup. The two teams clashed in Dubai on Wednesday during the ongoing Asia Cup where India registered a convincing 8-wicket victory over Pakistan. They will take each other on once again on Sunday in the Super 4 phase of the tournament.

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