ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The prime minister’s adviser on national security and foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz has said that Pakistan wants to have meaningful talks with India, adding that it depends on India to improve bilateral relations.
“India itself cannot afford tension in the region,” Sartaj Aziz said while talking to the state-run television channel on Friday.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who was in Kathmandu to attend the 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit also said in a statement that Pakistan wants ties with India on the basis of dignity, self-respect and honour.
The prime minister said that Pakistan has always desired a meaningful dialogue with India with sincerity and wants it to be reciprocated from the other side.
Sharif shook hands with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and exchanged pleasantries during the summit; however, no formal meeting was held between the two leaders.
The two-day 18th SAARC summit held in Kathmandu concluded on Thursday, adopting a 36-point Kathmandu Declaration.
It emphasized on enhancing connectivity, combating terrorism and launching regional, as well as sub-regional, development projects to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia.
The adviser said that the agenda of the SAARC is in the boarder interest of the region.
Sartaj Aziz also called for enhancing trade among the SAARC counties.
