On its National Day, Pakistan hopes of improving ties with India

Pakistan on Thursday asserted that Islamabad had always tried to maintain cordial relations with all of its neighbours and expressed hope that its ties with New Delhi would improve in the near future.

Pakistan's envoy to India Abdul Basit, while speaking at a ceremony to mark Pakistan's National Day at the Pakistan High Commission on Thursday here, said he hoped of a speedy solution to the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

"We hope that our relations will improve. We will resolve all of our issues peacefully, especially the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, which is the primary issue for Pakistan-India ties. We will resolve it according to the will of the Kashmiri people," he said, as reported by the Dawn.

"History is witness that freedom movements can be suppressed temporarily but they cannot be quashed permanently," he added.

Earlier, on the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent greetings to his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif via a letter.

Sharif had sent a similar greeting to Prime Minister Modi in January this year on the occasion of India's Republic Day.

The Pakistan Day marks the historic event of 1940, when the Lahore Resolution was passed demanding a separate homeland for Muslims of the subcontinent.