ASTANA: In an effort to ensure the prosperity of the countries and the region, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated on Thursday that he strongly supports peaceful discussion in settling issues with other nations, especially neighbouring India.
He stated Pakistan wanted peaceful relations with all of its neighbours, including India, while speaking at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia’s 6th summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.
He stated, “Both sides of the border cannot afford to deal with tremendous difficulties of poverty and unemployment amid limited resources, thus we are eager to engage with India for the sake of wealth and development.
The prime minister addressed the leaders of the international conference who were gathering to discuss collaboration towards fostering peace, security, and stability in Asia, and his speech was centred on world peace to achieve the aim of prosperity.
PM Sharif emphasised that the people deserved money to go for their health and education.
He stated, “I want to leave a legacy of peace and progress for the prosperity of our region’s future generations.
Reviving a swift and equitable economy is currently Pakistan’s top objective.
But he added that it was still up to India to take the necessary action to engage in finding solutions that would produce results.
The premier drew attention to India’s ongoing crimes in Jammu and Kashmir over the past seven decades, where he claimed that Kashmiris have continued to be denied their right to self-determination.
He pleaded with other nations to pay attention to India’s “bullet over ballot” strategy, which egregiously overturned the UN Security Council resolution calling for the staging of a referendum in Kashmir.
He claimed that India now posed a threat to its neighbours, minorities, and the entire region.
In order to encourage commerce and investment, Sharif stated that Pakistan was “totally open and willing for a talk with Indian counterparts provided they exhibited the sincerity of purpose.”
Regarding Afghanistan, he claimed that the four decades of war had severely damaged both the nation and Pakistan, which was next door.
He said that Pakistan’s peace and security were severely damaged, with catastrophic repercussions in the form of 80,000 casualties and enormous financial damages amounting to billions of dollars.
The prime minister expressed his delight that Pakistan had managed to welcome four million Afghan refugees while also controlling extremism and terrorism on its land after making great sacrifices.
He asserted that a stable and prosperous Afghanistan served the interests of both Pakistan and the international world.
In the sake of peace and development, he urged the regional nations to combine their resources to tackle the problems that they share.
If we pool our resources, Asia can stand tall and proud, he declared. “We can develop mutual trust through constructive discourse.”
He referred to Pakistan’s geographic position as a natural link between the region’s various economies.
In this context, he emphasised the multi-billion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative, which has completely changed the region’s economic and connectivity environment.
He also urged the CICA members to think about taking advantage of Pakistan’s prospects for trade, investment, and business.
In reference to recent floods in Pakistan, the prime minister made note of the fact that, although emitting less than 1% of carbon dioxide, the nation was suffering the most as a result of climate change.
He expressed gratitude to the nations that offered Pakistan help in carrying out relief and rehabilitation efforts in the flood-affected areas.
He also praised the United Nations’ extravagant $816 million flash appeal, which was made in response to the enormous challenge of catastrophic losses brought on by flash floods.
Pakistan is “determined and dedicated,” according to the prime minister, to recover from the flood tragedy stronger.
He declared, “Pakistan would overcome this issue with the help of its people and the friendly nations.
In his speech, the prime minister discussed the Palestine conflict and emphasised the need for a peaceful solution in order to maintain stability throughout the Middle East and the wider region.
He also went into detail about the importance of CICA as a special venue for encouraging communication, comprehension, and cooperation among the nations of Asia.