ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday while expressing gratitude to former Indian cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu on attending his oath taking ceremony, invited India for dialogue to resolve Kashmir issue.
In a twitter message, the premier termed Sindhu ‘ambassador of peace’ and maintained that those targeted him in India are doing a great disservice to peace in the subcontinent.
He reprimanded India’s hostile reaction to Sidhu’s visit, saying “Those in India who targeted him are doing a gt [great] disservice to peace in the subcontinent – without peace our ppl [people] cannot progress.”
Navjot Singh Sidhu received a severe backlash from his countrymen, Premier Khan again took to Twitter to support Sidhu’s gestures of peace and love in his recent visit to Pakistan for attending premier’s oath taking ceremony.
Earlier, the Indian government had given Navjot Singh Sidhu go-ahead to attend Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s oath-taking ceremony as prime minister of Pakistan.
Navjot Singh Sidhu reached India via the Wagha border on August 19 after attending Imran Khan’s oath-taking ceremony.
Sidhu was among the special guests present at Khan’s oath-taking ceremony at the Aiwan-e-Sadr (the President House) in Islamabad, Pakistan.
He said that those in India who targeted him are doing disservice to peace in the subcontinent.
Prime Minister Khan stressed that in order to move forward Pakistan and India should hold negotiations over all the conflicts between them including Kashmir issue.
Khan also proposed India to initiate trade with Pakistan as a means of bridging differences between neighboring countries and alleviating poverty from the subcontinent.
“To move forward Pakistan and India must dialogue and resolve their conflicts including Kashmir: The best way to alleviate poverty and uplift the people of the subcontinent is to resolve our differences through dialogue and start trading.” he wrote.
Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a letter to his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan saying that New Delhi is willing to hold a constructive and meaningful engagement with Islamabad.
Modi felicitated Khan over assuming the office of premier and stressed need to work for a terror-free South Asia.
Imran Khan has said that without peace our people cannot progress. – NNI