New Delhi : In a significant development, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a bilateral meeting on Sunday and stressed on the need to resolve long term conflict between India and Pakistan.
A joint press statement issued on Monday evening, both sides underscored the importance of talks between Pakistan and India to resolve the outstanding issues between the two countries, especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute to ensure peace and stability in the region.
This is not the first time that Pakistan has raked up the Kashmir issue. Also the joint statement by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia came a day after Pakistan rejected Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's statement. Singh on Sunday came down heavily on Pakistan, saying, “We will not spare any of them (terrorists)…will kill them in India and outside if required”.
In a hard hitting remark, the Defence Minister noted that the government will give a befitting reply to any terrorist who tries to disturb peace in India. “If he [terrorist] flees to Pakistan, we will follow him and take him down on Pakistani soil. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken the truth… India has the capability and Pakistan has also started understanding that,” Singh had said when asked about a report in a UK newspaper that claimed the Indian government ordered assassinations in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists on foreign soil.
The Defence minister further reiterated India wants to maintain cordial relations with neighbours. “Look at our history. We have never attacked any country or even occupied an inch of the territory of any other country. This is India’s character”, he added.
The Saudi Prince and the Pakistan Premier, exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest, including the worrying situation in Gaza. The joint statement made no reference to UN security council resolutions on Kashmir. The joint statement reflects Riyadh's continued support for India's position on Kashmir. It also underscores the growing strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and India.
It is worth mentioning that Saudi Arabia has extended financial aid worth $ 5 billion to Pakistan to deal with the country's economic crisis. The two sides discussed ways to strengthen trade and investment ties.
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