‘War not an option’; PM says he’s willing to talk to India

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said on Tuesday that Pakistan has “nothing against anybody” and he is willing to talk to India for regional development.

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, addressing the inaugural session of the Pakistan Minerals Summit in Islamabad.

Ties between the two arch-rivals have been suspended since the annexation of Jammu and Kashmir by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in 2019.

Mentioning the three major wars between the two countries, Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan is a nuclear power but only for its defence.

“If there is any nuclear flashpoint, who will live to tell what happened? So (war) is not an option,” he said, stressing that India should understand the same.

Shehbaz Sharif also said that the two countries cannot become “normal neighbours” unless abnormalities are removed and unless our serious issues are understood and addressed through peaceful and meaningful discussions.