Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Shehbaz Sharif says 'war is not an option' as he proposes talks with India

Bilateral relations between Islamabad and New Delhi have been tense since August 2019 when India changed the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

Shehbaz Sharif says 'war is not an option' as he proposes talks with India

PAKISTAN prime minister Shehbaz Sharif offered talks with India to address all serious and outstanding issues as he said 'war is not an option' for both countries as they fight poverty and unemployment.

Sharif made the remarks while addressing the inaugural session of the Pakistan minerals summit. The meeting, organised under the slogan of ‘Dust to Development’, aimed at bringing foreign investment to the cash-strapped country.


“We are prepared to talk with everyone, even with our neighbour, provided that the neighbour is serious to talk serious matters on the table because war is no more an option,” the prime minister said, in an apparent reference to India.

Sharif’s comments came amid continued strain in ties between India and Pakistan on a number of issues including Islamabad’s continued support to cross-border terrorism and the Kashmir issue.

India has also asserted that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and will” always be part of the country.

Sharif’s coalition government is getting ready to face an election at the completion of the five-year term of Parliament on August 12.

It is expected that the National Assembly, the lower house, will be dissolved a few days before the end of the term to provide more time for the next elections.

The prime minister talked about the history of wars between Pakistan and India.

The wars in his opinion resulted in an increase in poverty, unemployment, and lack of resources to finance education, health, and well-being of the people.

He said Pakistan’s nuclear capability was for defensive purposes and not for aggression.

“Because if there is any nuclear flashpoint, who will live to tell what happened? So (war) is not an option,” he said.

Sharif emphasised that Pakistan was well aware of the dark side of a nuclear conflict but India should also realise it.

He also said that relations would not become normal until the “abnormalities” were removed by addressing the unresolved issues.

“It is equally important that our neighbour has to understand that we cannot become normal neighbours unless abnormalities are removed and unless our serious issues are understood and addressed through peaceful and meaningful discussions,” he said.

Recently, India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar said that it is not possible for India to have normal relations with the neighbouring country until the policy of cross-border terrorism is abrogated.

“We can’t allow terrorism to be normalised; we can not allow that to become the basis for getting us into discussions with Pakistan. To me it is a fairly common sense proposition,” he said in June.

Chief of army staff General Asim Munir also attended the summit along with several national and foreign dignitaries.

(PTI)

More For You

Sunita-Williams-Reuters

Sunita Williams was part of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission and had been stranded in space for over nine months. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters)

India looks amazing from space, says Sunita Williams

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams described India as "amazing" from space and expressed her intention to visit her "father's home country" to share her experiences on space exploration.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, she responded to a question about how India appeared from space and the possibility of collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Keep ReadingShow less
british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less