Any talks with India will not be limited to terrorism, as Pakistan seeks comprehensive dialogue
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar says Islamabad aiming for ‘dialogue between Iran and US,’ removal of outlawed militant network from Afghanistan border
Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar
- Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar says Islamabad aiming for ‘dialogue between Iran and US,’ removal of outlawed militant network from Afghanistan border
- New Delhi yet to respond to Islamabad's offer of comprehensive dialogue
ISTANBUL / ISLAMABAD
Pakistan said on Friday that any talks with India will not be limited to terrorism and that Islamabad seeks a comprehensive dialogue with its eastern neighbor.
"We will not beg for dialogue. India can choose to engage in dialogue or not. But we will never ask anyone to resume talks," Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said at a news conference in Islamabad.
Dar stressed that the dialogue "must not be limited to terrorism" but must also be based on equality and mutual respect.
"Pakistan has lost over 90,000 people to terrorism and suffered $152 billion in economic losses, more than our total foreign debt of around $130 billion," Dar told the media.
He recalled his talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May, when Pakistan and India were engaged in cross-border hostilities.
The American top diplomat assured him that talks with India would eventually take place in "a neutral setting."
As of the publication of this report, New Delhi had not responded to Islamabad's offer of comprehensive dialogue.
Regarding Afghanistan, Dar said that he conveyed to his acting Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the importance of removing the outlawed militant network Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from Pakistan's borders.
Last week, the two met in Kabul with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for trilateral talks.
Muttaqi has "assured me that the Afghan government will not allow anyone to use its soil against Pakistan," Dar said.
Islamabad accuses Kabul of failing to prevent militants from carrying out attacks in Pakistan and then seeking refuge in Afghanistan, a charge Kabul denies.
Regarding relations with Iran, Dar stressed Islamabad's efforts to "facilitate" dialogue between Tehran and the US.
However, he said that Pakistan "categorically rejects" the "Greater Israel" proposal and "strongly opposes any such designs."
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