India Welcomes Pakistan PM Imran Khan, Gen Bajwa's Remarks On Resolving Dispute Peacefully Through Dialogue

India has welcomed Pakistan government's statements on resolving dispute and believes it to be a positive step. India expects more such steps from Pakistan in normalising the relations between the two nations.

New Delhi: Hours after Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa advocated for a peaceful relation and said it was time for New Delhi and Islamabad to "bury past and move forward", India has welcomed the gesture of the neighbouring country on resolving disputes peacefully through bilateral dialogue.

Sources close to the government told ABP LIVE that India has welcomed Pakistan government's  statements on resolving dispute and believes the statements to be positive.

India expects more such steps from Pakistan in normalising the relations between the two nations, which has been on stand off since decades.

Earlier this week, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi have also pitched for resumption of trade between India and Pakistan and urged for a peaceful resolution in the disputed region of Kashmir. 

Earlier in the day, Bajwa called for peaceful dialogue between India and Pakistan stating that the potential for regional peace and development always remained hostage to the disputes and issues between the two "nuclear-armed neighbours". "We feel it is time to bury the past and move forward," he said, adding that the responsibility for a meaningful dialogue rested with India.

Even India, last month, had said that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence. However, New Delhi highlighted the fact that the onus is on Pakistan to create an environment free of terror and hostility.

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India had also clearly pointed out to Pakistan that "talks and terror" cannot go hand in hand and asked Islamabad to take demonstrable steps against terror groups responsible for launching various attacks on India.

Gen Bajwa's remarks came a day after Prime Minister Khan made a similar statement saying that " India will be benefitted economically by having peace with Pakistan as it will enable New Delhi to directly access the resource-rich Central Asia region through Pakistani territory."

Ties between India and Pakistan nose-dived after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by terror groups based in the neighbouring country.

(With inputs from Ashish Kumar Singh.)