To resolve issues, Pak PM Imran Khan would like to hold TV debate with PM Modi
"I would love to debate with Narendra Modi on TV," Khan said, adding that it would benefit the subcontinent's billion people if differences could be resolved through debate.
FollowPakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Tuesday that he would like to hold a televised debate with his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to iron out differences between the two neighbours. Since their independence 75 years ago, the nuclear-armed rivals have had antagonistic relations, fighting three wars, with ties recently strained over the northern Muslim-majority region of Kashmir, which both claim in full.
"I would love to debate with Narendra Modi on TV," Khan said in an interview with Russia Today, adding that it would benefit the subcontinent's billion people if differences could be resolved through debate. "India became a hostile country, so trade with them became minimal," Khan said, stressing his government's policy was to have trade relations with all countries.
India's Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately respond for comment.
Imran Khan's top advisor, Abdul Razak Dawood, recently stated that trade with India is essential and beneficial to both countries. Imran Khan's statement comes just one day after the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary session began on February 21. The FATF will conduct its next assessment of Pakistan's progress in combating terrorist financing and money laundering.
Pakistan's regional economic choices are already constrained, according to Khan, with Iran, its southern neighbour, under US sanctions and Afghanistan, to the west, embroiled in a decades-long conflict. Pakistan has extensive economic relations with its northern neighbour, China, which has pledged billions of dollars for infrastructure and other projects as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.
Khan's interview occurred on the day of his trip to Moscow, where he will meet with President Vladimir Putin – the first visit to Russia by a Pakistani leader in two decades. The two-day visit for business cooperation talks was arranged before the present Ukraine situation.
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