Ready to discuss issue of ‘terrorism’ with India but New Delhi reluctant to cooperate: Pak

Pakistan on Thursday said it was ready to discuss the issue of “terrorism” with India as it claimed that New Delhi is “reluctant” to cooperate on the matter, which is also a “primary concern” for Islamabad.

Pakistan wants constructive engagement with India as per thepolicy of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisaltold media at a weekly briefing here.

   

“Pakistan is also ready to discuss terrorism which isalso a primary concern for Pakistan,” he said.

Faisal said Khan wrote to his Indian counterpart NarendraModi on September 14, 2018 reiterating “our principled position ofresolving all outstanding issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,through peaceful dialogue”.

However, India, he said, has been “reluctant tocooperate on the issue of terrorism”.

His comments came ahead of a Shanghai CooperationOrganisation (SCO) meeting to be held in Kyrgyzstan on May 21-22, which will beattended by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpartShah Mahmood Qureshi.

The relationship between the two neighbouring nationscurrently is at all-time low after a Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)suicide bomber attacked a CRPF convoy in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir onFebruary 14 that killed 40 soldiers.

Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force (IAF) carriedout a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp inBalakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26.

The next day, the PAF retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in anaerial combat and captured IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who waslater released and handed over to India on March 1.

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