'Talks With India Not Possible Until...': Pakistan Clarifies After PM Shehbaz Sharif's Interview Goes Viral

The PMO further stated, "the settlement of the Kashmir dispute must be in accordance with the UN resolutions & aspirations of people of Jammu & Kashmir."

The Pakistan Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday issued a clarification on Shehbaz Sharif's interview with Al Arabiya channel

The Pakistan Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday issued a clarification on Shehbaz Sharif's interview with Al Arabiya channel, in which he expressed his desire to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on all pressing problems, including Kashmir.

The PMO said that talks with India can only take place after the country reverses its “illegal action of August 5, 2019”, referring to the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories- Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on August 5, 2019.

“Without India’s revocation of this step, negotiations are not possible,” the PMO said.

The PMO further stated, "the settlement of the Kashmir dispute must be in accordance with the UN resolutions & aspirations of people of Jammu & Kashmir."

"In ref. to PM Shehbaz Sharif's interview to Al Arabiya, spokesman of PM Office has said PM has consistently maintained that Pakistan & India must resolve their bilateral issues, especially core issue of Jammu & Kashmir, through dialogue and peaceful means": Pakistan PMO pic.twitter.com/zL3xzAQm75

— ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2023

The statement comes a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for "serious and sincere talks" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on "burning points like Kashmir" and said the United Arab Emirates leadership could play an important role in bringing India and Pakistan to the table.

In an interview with UAE’s Al Arabiya news channel, Sharif said, “My message to the Indian leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is that let us sit down on the table and have serious and sincere talks to resolve our burning issues like Kashmir.

He further said in the interview, "We now have three wars with India and it solely introduced extra distress, poverty and unemployment to the individuals. We now have learnt our lesson and we wish to stay in peace, but for that we should be capable of resolving our real issues."

Speaking on the issue of war, the Pakistan Prime Minister said, "God forbids, if warfare breaks out, who will stay to tell what had happened".

Pakistan's economy is now being run almost entirely by borrowed money. Even as last week Pakistan managed to secure fresh financial assistance of about $4 billion from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which will help Islamabad avert a debt default, the money comes in the form of a rollover of an existing loan. The additional loans will only add to Pakistan's debt burden. The country has to make a repayment of $73 billion by 2025.

As on January 6, its foreign exchange reserves stood at $4.34 billion-most of which has come as loans from other countries. The lifeline provided by Saudi Arabia and UAE will somewhat help in boosting the reserves while allowing Islamabad to resume talks with the International Monetary Fund.