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Nawaz Sharif gave an interview to Indian journalists in the office of Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz.
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif said that S Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan is a beginning. From here, India and Pakistan should leave their history behind and move forward. According to the news agency, Sharif was talking to Indian journalists who had gone to Pakistan for the SCO meeting on Thursday.
Sharif said about Jaishankar’s visit-
The matter progresses like this. This should not end. It would have been good if Modi Saheb himself had come here to present his address, but it is also good that Jaishankar came. Now we must pick up where we left off. We have lost 75 years, now we should think about the next 75 years.
Sharif held former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan responsible for the deteriorating relations between the two countries and mentioned some of the comments made against Prime Minister Modi. Sharif said the language he used had damaged relations with India. Leave alone speaking such language, leaders should not even think.
Sharif said- I tried to improve relations, but it could not happen. Sharif said that he had tried to improve relations between the two countries, but relations kept deteriorating again and again. Sharif said that Modi came to Rawalpindi to meet us. He also talked to my mother for a long time. This was no small matter. Especially in our country it has a big meaning.
Nawaz Sharif said that in my father’s passport his birthplace is written as Amritsar. We share the same culture, tradition, language, food. I am not happy that there has been a long pause in our relationship. There may not be good behavior among the leaders, but the relationship between the people is very good. I can speak on behalf of the people of Pakistan who think for the people of India and I will say the same for the Indian people.
PM Modi had attended the wedding of the granddaughter of the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif on 25 December 2015.
Sharif said- Cricket should start again between India and Pakistan Nawaz Sharif advocated the resumption of cricket ties between India and Pakistan and even said that he would like to visit India if the two teams played in the final of a major tournament in the neighboring country. Sharif said that there is no benefit for us in not sending teams to each other’s countries.
Sharif talked about restoring trade relations between the two sides. He said why should Indian and Pakistani farmers and producers go out to sell their goods? Now the goods go from Amritsar to Lahore via Dubai. Who is benefiting from this? What should have taken two hours now takes two weeks.
Sharif also recalled Vajpayee’s visit to Lahore in 1999. He said- Vajpayee is still remembered for the Lahore Manifesto and his words at that time. I watch videos of that trip because it feels good to remember all that.”
Atal Bihari Vajpayee went to Pakistan in February 1999.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, sitting next to her father, also expressed her desire to visit India. She said, “When I went to Kartarpur, I got a lot of love from Indian pilgrims. I would love to visit India, especially Punjab.” To this Sharif said, “Why only Punjab? Go to Himachal, Haryana and other states also.”