Islamabad, Pakistan (CU) _ In a letter to his Pakistani counterpart PM Imran Khan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India wants cordial ties with Pakistan, but that an environment of confidence, free of terror and hostility, is important. On the occasion of Pakistan day, PM Modi wrote the letter to PM Imran Khan to express his best wishes to the people of Pakistan. He wrote, “As a neighboring country, India desires cordial relations with the people of Pakistan. For this, an environment of trust, devoid of terror and hostility, is imperative”. According to government sources, the letter is sent every year as a tradition.
PM Modi also wished Mr Khan and the Pakistani countrymen good luck in resolving the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. In the recent times, there have been signs of progress in relations between India and Pakistan. The Indian and Pakistani militaries renewed their commitment to the 2003 ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir last month. The military chiefs of both the countries pledged to honor the ceasefire agreement of 2003.
A Pakistani delegation visited India on Monday to find a permanent solution to the Indus commission. It is the first time in over two and a half years that such a discussion has taken place. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said last week that India wants smooth and friendly relations with Pakistan and is committed to resolving any bilateral problems, but that any substantive dialogue can only take place in a positive and supportive environment. He claimed that it the responsibility of Islamabad to establish such an environment.
After India revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and split the state into two union territories in 2019, the relations between the two countries deteriorated. Pakistan Day commemorates the Lahore Resolution, passed on March 23, 1940, through which the All-India Muslim League requested a separate country for India’s Muslims. President Ram Nath Kovind is also said to have sent a separate note to his Pakistani counterpart Arif Alvi.
