Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that he was ready to hold talks with its neighbor on "serious matters' for the region's development.
Though Sharif did not mention India in his remarks, it was apparent that he was referring to the neighboring sovereign state.
Pakistan PM's Open Invitation to India
"We are prepared to talk to everyone, even with our neighbor, provided that the neighbor is serious to talk serious matters on the table, because war is no more an option," Sharif said during a public event in Islamabad.
Despite a history of three wars between New Delhi and Islamabad, Sharif argued that a military conflict was no longer an option and that issues between the two nations be resolved through dialogue.
"It is equally important that our neighbor has to understand that we cannot become normal neighbors unless abnormalities are removed and unless our serious issues are understood and addressed through peaceful and meaningful discussions," Sharif added.
India's Concerns Over Cross-Border Terrorism
Sharif's comments on holding discussions with India come against the backdrop of continued bickering between the two South Asian countries over the matter of terrorism.
For a long time, New Delhi has accused Islamabad of sheltering anti-India terrorist groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba* and the Jaish-e-Mohammed*, accused of carrying out a series of deadly attacks in India, including the deadly Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.
Recently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Islamabad to take action against such extremist organizations that work against New Delhi's interests in the region.
He "strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks".
Current State of Indo-Pak Ties
Diplomatic ties between the two countries remain suspended following India's decision to revoke the semi-autonomous status of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state in 2019.
The standoff over the decision has now extended to the fifth year, with High Commissions of the two neighboring nations remaining vacant after Pakistan and India recalled their ambassadors after New Delhi's Kashmir move.
*terror organizations banned in Russia, India and other states