Former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that the historic meeting between the leaders of Cold War foes US and North Korea earlier in the day can be a precedent for Pakistan and India to talk out their hostilities and pave the way for lasting regional peace.
US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un had concluded an extraordinary nuclear summit by signing a document in which Trump pledged "security guarantees" to the North and Kim reiterated his commitment to "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula".
Sharif, the PML-N president, in a series of tweets suggested that Pakistan and India should resume their dialogue on Kashmir to settle the long-festering dispute.
"Singapore Summit between the US and North Korea should set a good precedent for Pakistan and India to follow," Sharif wrote.
He reminded netizens that the two countries had been threatening to use nuclear weapons against each other since the Korean War began.
Singapore Summit between USA & North Korea should set a good precedent for Pakistan & India to follow. Ever since the start of Korean War, the two nations have been at odds with one another; both threatening to use military force with their nuclear arsenals facing each other(1/3)
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) June 12, 2018
"If the United States and North Korea can return from the brink of a nuclear flashpoint, there is no reason why Pakistan and India cannot do the same," he stressed.
Sharif suggested that the starting point for the South Asian neighbours should be a dialogue on Kashmir, "whose heroic people have resisted and rejected Indian occupation".
If the United States and North Korea can return from the brink of a nuclear flashpoint, there is no reason why Pakistan and India cannot do the same, beginning with a dialogue on Kashmir whose heroic people have resisted and rejected Indian occupation. (2/3)
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) June 12, 2018
"It's time for comprehensive peace talks in our region," he declared, adding that the international community should also focus on the peace process in Afghanistan.
The dialogue between Pakistan and India should also resume, he said, so that "the long-festering Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with UN resolutions".
It's time for comprehensive peace talks in our region. International community must focus on the peace process in Afghanistan. Dialogue b/w Pakistan & India over Kashmir should also resume, so that the long-festering Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with UN resolutions.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) June 12, 2018
India and Pakistan had announced the resumption of talks under the comprehensive bilateral dialogue format during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Islamabad in December 2015. However, the dialogue hit a roadblock after the Pathankot terror attack that India blamed on a Pakistan-based terror outfit in 2016.
There has been no formal communication between the two governments since then, although the National Security Advisers of the two countries have held a secret meeting during the period.
