New Delhi: In his second outreach to Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Imran Khan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written to his newly-elected counterpart to express “India’s commitment to build good neighbourly relations” and “pursue meaningful and constructive engagement”. Mr Modi also re-emphasised the need to work for a terror-free South Asia.
Mr Modi’s letter sparked a controversy after some media reports pointed to a claim by Pakistan that the Indian Prime Minister had “made an offer of a dialogue”, a claim denied by the Pakistani foreign office in Islamabad. In his letter written to Mr Khan on August 18, the day he was sworn in as Pakistan’s 22nd Prime Minister, PM Modi recalled his telephonic call made to Mr Khan three weeks ago — after the former cricketer’s electoral victory — during which the two leaders “spoke of their shared vision to bring peace, security and prosperity in the Indian subcontinent, in order to make it free of terror and violence, and to focus on development”.
Ties between India and Pakistan nosedived following a spate of terror attacks on Indian military bases by Pakistan-based terror groups since January 2016. Following the strikes, India announced it will not engage in talks with Pakistan, saying terror and talks cannot go hand-in-hand. Sources in New Delhi said that Mr Modi, in his letter, expressed the belief that the smooth transition of Government in Pakistan would strengthen and cement people’s faith in democracy.
Pakistan responded swiftly to Mr Modi’s letter with foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday offering “uninterrupted” dialogue with India to resolve all outstanding issues. However, Mr Qureshi’s address to the media, soon after his oath-taking, sparked a row with his alleged remark on India-Pakistan “dialogue”.
In a damage control step, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson in Islamabad clarified that the new foreign minister had not stated that “the Indian Prime Minister had made an offer of a dialogue”, but had said that Mr Modi in his letter to Mr Khan had also mentioned something similar to what the foreign minister elucidated earlier “that the way forward was only through constructive engagement”. Pakistan accused Indian media of trying to create a controversy.
