Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif was in Tehran, and during a joint press briefing with President Masoud Pezeshkian said:
“We’re ready to talk for the sake of peace on water issue, we’re ready to talk to promote trade and also counter-terrorism if they are serious.”
Pakistan’s PM indicated he was ready to talk to India “to find solutions” to “longstanding problems” including Kashmir, water sharing and trade.
A report in Dawn quoted Pakistan’s PM as saying, “We are ready to talk for the sake of peace on water issues with our neighbour. We are ready to talk to promote trade and also counter-terrorism. We wanted peace, we want peace and we will work for peace in the region, through talks, on the table, and resolve our outstanding issues.”
“If they accept my offer of peace then we will show we really want peace, seriously and sincerely.”
StratNewsGlobal contacted the Ministry of External Affairs for a reaction and was directed to two media briefings, one on May 22 and the other on May 13.
The May 22 briefing clearly says “Talks and terror don’t go together. On terrorism we are open to discussing the handing over to India of noted terrorists whose list was given to Pakistan some time ago.”
“Any bilateral discussion on Jammu & Kashmir will only be on the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan.
“And on the Indus Waters Treaty … it will remain in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. As our Prime Minister has said water and blood cannot flow together; trade and terror also cannot go together.”
The May 13 briefing was on similar lines with the spokesman saying “We have a longstanding national position that any issues pertaining to the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir have to be addressed by India and Pakistan bilaterally. The outstanding matter is the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan.”
On the Indus Waters Treaty, the briefing noted that it was concluded “in the spirit of goodwill and friendship as specified in the preamble of the treaty. However, Pakistan has held these principles in abeyance by its promotion of cross-border terrorism for several decades now.”
Now as per the CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security) decision of 23rd April, “India will keep the treaty in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably, abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. Please also note that climate change, demographic shifts and technological changes have created new realities on the ground as well.”
