Islamabad: Former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that the historic meeting between the US and North Korea can be an example for Pakistan and India to talk out their hostilities and make peace with each other. This came after the United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a joint agreement, according to which Kim committed for ‘complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula’ and Trump pledged ‘security guarantees’ to the North.
In a series of tweets, the PML-N president, Sharif suggested that Pakistan and India should resume their dialogue and pave way for lasting regional peace. “Singapore Summit between USA & North Korea should set a good precedent for Pakistan & India to follow. Ever since the start of Korean War, the two nations have been at odds with one another; both threatening to use military force with their nuclear arsenals facing each other(1/3),” he tweeted. “If the United States and North Korea can return from the brink of a nuclear flashpoint, there is no reason why Pakistan and India cannot do the same, beginning with a dialogue on Kashmir whose heroic people have resisted and rejected Indian occupation. (2/3),” Sharif tweeted.
“It’s time for comprehensive peace talks in our region. international community must focus on the peace process in Afghanistan. Dialogue b/w Pakistan & India over Kashmir should also resume so that the long-festering Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with UN resolutions,” he tweeted. In December 2015, India and Pakistan had announced the resumption of talks during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Islamabad. The dialogue, however, hit a roadblock after the Pathankot terror attack in January 2016. There has been no formal communication between the two sides since then.