'Bury the past': Ex-Pak PM Nawaz Sharif reaches out to PM Modi after Jaishankar's visit

By Vinaykumar Patil | First Published Oct 18, 2024, 8:49 AM IST

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called for renewed efforts to improve relations with India, praising S Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan as a positive step. He urged both nations to "bury the past," recalling Modi's 2015 Lahore visit and criticizing Imran Khan for harming ties.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has called for renewed efforts to mend ties with India. He described External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s recent visit to Islamabad for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting as a “good opening” and an opportunity for both nations to move beyond their troubled history.

Speaking to a group of Indian journalists in Lahore, Sharif expressed hope for a future where India and Pakistan can set aside past grievances and work towards positive relations. He lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unplanned visit to his home in Lahore in 2015, recalling it as a remarkable gesture. "It was not a small act," Sharif said, reflecting on the event that took place on his birthday, December 25, 2015. "I got a call from him when he was in Kabul, and he wanted to drop by. He was most welcome, and he even met my mother," Sharif added, fondly remembering the warmth of that moment.

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Sharif, who served as Pakistan’s Prime Minister three times, expressed his disappointment over the deterioration of relations, which began shortly after Modi’s visit. He blamed incidents such as the Pathankot terror attack in early 2016 for disrupting the peace efforts and urged both sides to ensure that similar events do not derail future initiatives. Sharif highlighted that India remains Pakistan's neighbour, a reality that cannot be altered, stating, "We have already lost 75 years, and we must not lose the next 75." He urged both nations to engage in meaningful dialogue and cooperation, according to the TOI report.

Taking a jab at his political rival, Imran Khan, Sharif criticized the former Prime Minister for his harsh rhetoric against Modi, which he believes worsened relations between the two nations. Sharif criticized Imran Khan for damaging the relationship with India through foul language, stating, "I would never have spoken like that. We have values that should be respected." He stressed that personal attacks and inflammatory remarks only worsen the divide between the two nations.

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Although Sharif did not make any concrete proposals for resuming trade or appointing high commissioners, he remained optimistic about the possibility of better relations in the future. "If there’s an opening, things will emerge," he said, leaving the door open for potential discussions.

Sharif’s comments came in the wake of Jaishankar’s attendance at the SCO meeting in Islamabad, the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in nine years. While there was no bilateral meeting between Indian and Pakistani officials during the event, Sharif and other officials viewed Jaishankar’s visit as an important step towards breaking the ice.

Reflecting on the need for India and Pakistan to move forward, Sharif emphasized that both sides should "bury the past." He suggested that reopening channels for trade and resuming cricketing ties could serve as confidence-building measures. "It doesn’t make sense for goods to travel from Amritsar to Lahore via Dubai when it should only take two hours, not two weeks," he noted, highlighting the practical benefits of direct trade.

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Despite the tensions that have flared up over recent years, particularly after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, Sharif remained cautious when discussing the issue. He refrained from commenting on India’s actions in Kashmir, acknowledging that this was not the occasion to address the topic.

Sharif also reminisced about the Lahore Declaration of 1999, signed with then-Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a moment considered a breakthrough in Indo-Pak relations.

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