Islamabad [Pakistan], May 16 (HBTV): Days after India targeted nine terror sites in Pakistan and damaged several airfields under Operation Sindoor, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed willingness to hold talks with India for peace. However, he insisted that discussions must include the Kashmir issue, The Express Tribune reported.
Sharif made the offer while addressing Pakistan Air Force personnel during a special visit to the Kamra air base on Thursday. He said that Pakistan was ready for peace talks but under specific conditions, urging India to engage on the Kashmir issue.
India, however, has maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is an ‘integral and inalienable part’ of the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated that any future dialogue with Pakistan will focus only on terrorism and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
In his national address following Operation Sindoor, PM Modi said: ‘I would also like to tell the global community that our stated policy has been: if there are talks with Pakistan, it will be only on terrorism; and if there are talks with Pakistan, it will be only on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).’
He warned that Pakistan's continued support for terrorism would eventually lead to its downfall. ‘The way the Pakistani army and the Pakistan government are encouraging terrorism, it will destroy Pakistan one day. If Pakistan wants to survive, it will have to destroy its terror infrastructure. There is no other way to peace,’ he said.
Tensions between the two nations escalated after the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 people and injured several others. In retaliation, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, striking nine terror sites in Pakistan and PoJK. The operation resulted in the deaths of over 100 terrorists affiliated with groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).
Following Pakistan’s response with cross-border shelling and drone attacks, India conducted a coordinated counterstrike targeting radar installations, communication centres, and airfields. The two sides reached an understanding on the cessation of hostilities on May 10.
(ANI)