Pak Foreign Minister calls for 'composite dialogue' with India to address contentious issues
Addressing the Senate on Thursday, Dar said the "ceasefire" with India has been extended till 18 May.
PTI
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Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar
Islamabad, 16 May
Pakistan's Foreign
Minister Ishaq Dar has called for a “composite dialogue” with India to address
the contentious issues between the two sides.
India made it clear
that it will only have a dialogue with Pakistan on the return of Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir and the issue of terrorism.
Addressing the Senate
on Thursday, Dar said the "ceasefire" with India has been extended
till 18 May, but a political dialogue will ultimately have to take place to
resolve the problems between the two neighbours.
India carried outprecision strikes under 'Operation Sindoor' on terror infrastructure early on 7
May in response to the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases
on 8, 9 and 10 May.
India and Pakistanreached an understanding on 10 May to end the conflict after four days of
intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
“We have told the
world that we will hold a composite dialogue,” Dar, who is also the Deputy
Prime Minister, said.
He also said that the
Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of Pakistan and India would
again get in contact on 18 May.
The composite
dialogue was launched in 2003 when General Pervez Musharraf was ruling
Pakistan. It had eight baskets of components, containing all contentious issues
between the two countries.
The dialogue was
derailed after the 2008 Mumbai attacks and not restored in proper form.
Dar also warned that
any attempt to block Pakistan’s water through the unlawful suspension of the
Indus Water Treaty would be treated as "an act of war".
Also on Thursday,
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended an offer of talks to India, saying
Pakistan is ready to engage "for peace".
Ties between India
and Pakistan nose-dived after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base
in 2016 by terror groups based in the neighbouring country. Subsequent attacks,
including one on an Indian Army camp in Uri, further deteriorated the
relationship.
The relationship
dipped further after India’s war planes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist
training camp deep inside Pakistan on 26 February, 2019 in response to the
Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.
The relations
deteriorated after India announced withdrawing the special powers of Jammu and
Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories in August,
2019.
The already frosty
ties were further impacted after the Pahalgam terror attack.
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