Pakistan is ready for dialogue with India but “not desperate,” the foreign minister said on Wednesday, signaling ongoing tensions and little progress in easing strained ties after their most severe military confrontation in decades.
Before agreeing to a truce mediated by the US on May 10, the two sides engaged in their heaviest fighting in decades over the course of four days last month, using fighter jets, missiles, drones, and artillery, Reuters reported.
At a press conference in Islamabad, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said: “Whenever they ask for a dialogue, at whatever level, we are ready, but we are not desperate.”
An incident in Indian Kashmir on April 22 that claimed 26 lives, the majority of them tourists, served as the impetus for the most recent conflict between the old rivals. Islamabad refuted New Delhi's accusation that the event was caused by “terrorists” supported by Pakistan.
According to Dar, India wanted to concentrate solely on terrorism, whereas Pakistan sought a thorough discussion on a variety of topics, including water.
“That’s not on. Nobody else is more serious than us. It takes two to tango,” he said, referring to comments by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar that the talks should only cover the issue of terrorism.
A request for response on Dar's comments was not immediately answered by the Indian foreign ministry. In the past, New Delhi has stated that dialogue and terrorism cannot coexist.
After India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in the wake of the April 22 attack, Pakistan is eager to talk about water rights. According to the deal, three rivers that originate in India supply water for 80% of Pakistan’s agriculture.
