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ISLAMABAD: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan to congratulate him on the victory of his party in the general elections and hoped that Pakistan and India would work to open a new chapter in bilateral ties.
The PTI’s media cell said that the two leaders had spoken over the phone. “Mr Modi called to congratulate Mr Khan on the party’s electoral victory and extended his best wishes for the new government,” the PTI media cell announced on Twitter.
The PTI emerged as the largest party in the National Assembly in the elections held last week and is on course to form a coalition government.
Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar had in an earlier statement on the elections said: “We welcome that the people of Pakistan have reposed their faith in democracy through general elections.” India, he had further said, “desires a prosperous and progressive Pakistan at peace with its neighbours. We hope that the new Government of Pakistan will work constructively to build a safe, stable, secure and developed South Asia free of terror and violence”.
India had anxiously watched elections in Pakistan and its media remained very critical of Mr Khan.
The conversation between Mr Modi and Mr Khan remained focused on ways for improving the relations that have mostly remained tense since the former was elected as prime minister of India in 2014. It should be recalled that bilateral dialogue between the two countries remained suspended during all these years. There have been, however, a few meetings between Mr Modi and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif mostly on the sidelines of multilateral events. Additionally, Mr Sharif had travelled to Delhi to attend Mr Modi’s oath taking ceremony and the Indian premier had in December 2015 made a stopover in Lahore to greet his counterpart on his birthday and participate in his granddaughter’s wedding. These contacts did not help in resuming the formal bilateral dialogue and relations continued to touch new lows.
Mr Modi told Mr Khan that India was ready for turning the page in the relations and called for concerted steps for taking the relationship forward.
Mr Khan, the PTI’s media cell said, thanked Mr Modi for his wishes and emphasised that disputes should be resolved through dialogue. “Wars and bloodshed instead of resolving disputes lead to tragedies,” he said.
The PTI chief said India and Pakistan would have to make combined efforts for freeing their people from the unkind stranglehold of poverty.
Mr Khan had in his victory speech also said that better relations between Pakistan and India would be “good for all of us”. He had also called for resolution of “core issue” — the Kashmir dispute for meaningful progress in ties.
“If India’s leadership is ready, we are ready to improve ties with India. If you step forward one step, we will take two steps forward,” Mr Khan had then said.
Chinese foreign ministry
Chinese Foreign Ministry also greeted Mr Khan on the success of his party in the elections.
“Pakistan’s election went smoothly to a successful conclusion. China welcomes that and congratulates the PTI led by Imran Khan on its success. We stand ready to work with the new Pakistani government to elevate China-Pakistan all-weather Strategic Partnership of Cooperation to a new level,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang said at the daily press briefing in Beijing.
Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing called on the PTI chief at his Banigala residence.
The Chinese ambassador felicitated Mr Khan on winning the election. Matters relating to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and bilateral relations were also discussed during the meeting.
Mr Khan received a congratulatory letter from the Ambassador of the country for getting elected as premier.
Iranian letter
Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Honardoost in a letter congratulated Mr Khan on the victory of his party in the general elections.
“It is great pleasure for me to extend warm and cordial felicitations on victory of Your Excellency and Tehreek-i-Insaf in the parliamentary elections of Pakistan,” the letter said.
Javed Naqvi from New Delhi also contributed to this story
Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2018
