Talks only way forward for India, Pakistan: Qureshi

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday said that the only way for Islamabad and New Delhi to move forward was through dialogue.

Addressing a National Conference on Strategic Stability in South Asia here, he said Pakistan needs a "willing and constructive partner to tackle the myriad daunting challenges" that the region is facing, Dawn online reported.

"A peaceful neighbourhood is the sine qua non (an essential condition) to build prosperous societies," the Minister said.

Simmering tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad triggered in February after a suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama killed 40 CRPF personnel and was claimed by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Qureshi said that recent events between the two countries were a reminder of the "heavy responsibility" that they have to bear in working towards addressing the "underlying challenges" to strategic stability in the region.

"Pakistan has shown it is prepared to take concrete steps to ease tension and work for friendly relations with India with Kartarpur Corridor like initiatives. Our neighbour (India) also needs to understand that the only way forward is dialogue," he added.

The Kartarpur corridor will connect Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Narowal district with Dera Baba Nanak in India's Gurdaspur.

--IANS

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