New Delhi: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed the desire to start a new era of friendship with India with focus on resolving all outstanding issues and bringing peace and prosperity in the region, reports Radio Pakistan.
He made these remarks while talking to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during his first ever interaction in New Delhi today [Tuesday]. The two leaders were accompanied by their respective delegations.
Both the sides discussed various issues and ways to move forward the dialogue process to resolve these issues.
Nawaz Sharif said people of both the countries want cordial and friendly relations and it is an opportunity for their leadership to come up to their expectations. He said peoples of both the countries have given heavy mandate to their leadership which reflect their desire for peace and prosperity.
He said peoples of both the countries are peace loving and against an arms race. He said both the countries have wasted precious time and resources which should have been diverted towards peace and stability.
Nawaz Sharif said the two countries have traditional and cultural affinities and time has come to transform these affinities into strong bonds.
He said both the countries are facing common challenges of poverty and illiteracy and it should be our utmost effort to serve our masses.
He also referred to his meeting with former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee who also belongs to BJP and paid tributes to his leadership. He said he has great respect for Vajpayee who tried to play a role to resolve outstanding issues between the two countries. He expressed the desire that Pakistan wants to restore its relations with India as were in 1999.
