ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is “ready but not desperate” for talks with arch-rival India, its foreign minister said on Wednesday, underlining the lack of a thaw in relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours following their worst military conflict in decades.
Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery last month in four days of clashes, their worst fighting in decades, before a ceasefire the US said it brokered on May 10. India has denied any third party role in the ceasefire.
“Whenever they ask for a dialogue, at whatever level, we are ready but we are not desperate,” Paki-stan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told a news conference in Islamabad.
The spark for the fighting was an April 22 attack in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. New Delhi blamed the incident on “terrorists” backed by Pakistan, a charge denied by Islama-bad.
Dar said Pakistan wanted a comprehensive dialogue on a range of issues including water, whereas In-dia wanted to focus only on terrorism.
“That’s not on. Nobody else is more serious than us. It takes two to tango,” he said, referring to com-ments by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar that the talks should only cover the issue of terrorism.
The Indian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Dar’s remarks.
New Delhi has previously said the only matter left to discuss with Pakistan was the vacation of what India describes as Pakistani-held territory in Kashmir – a disputed Himalayan region that both nations claim in full but rule in part.
Pakistan is keen to discuss water rights after India held “in abeyance” the Indus Waters Treaty follow-ing the April 22 attack. The treaty guarantees water for 80% of Pakistan’s farms from three rivers that flow from India.
Addressing regional dynamics, Dar highlighted the active role of the Pakistani delegation, led by Paki-stan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, in promoting Pakistan’s diplomatic message on the global stage. He added that Pakistan’s engagement with international powers, including Russia, Turki-ye and Iran, has significantly strengthened its diplomatic standing.
He particularly noted the positive diplomatic outcomes from Prime Minister’s recent visit to Turkiye, which further strengthened bilateral ties.
Dar also highlighted Pakistan’s strategic and economic initiatives, such as the formation of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR) and Pakistan’s plans to power Bitcoin mining and AI data zones using surplus en-ergy.
He concluded by reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and security while maintaining a unified stance on issues related to national integrity and sovereignty. –Agencies
