Nothing came out of talks offer to India: PM

ISLAMABAD/COLOMBO: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said he offered the Indian government a chance to holds peace talks with Pakistan after getting elected, but nothing came out of it

The premier said Kashmir is the only dispute between Pakistan and India, adding that it can only be resolved through dialogue. The prime minister made these remarks while addressing the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Trade and Investment Conference in Colombo, which he co-chaired with his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The conference was organised in a bid to explore avenues of collaboration in diverse fields between the two countries. The prime minister said political stability in the region — by maintaining good relations with neighbouring countries — ensured a business-friendly environment that resulted in the people’s overall development.

He underscored the importance of peaceful resolution of differences, saying "we want to resolve all disputes in the Sub-Continent through dialogue.” The prime minister said that Pakistan can play a role in bridging the gap between China and the United States.

“Terrorism has affected both Pakistan and Sri Lanka and counties in the region can end poverty by establishing trade relations,” he said. He also suggested the formation of a bloc along the lines of the European Union to promote trade.

The prime minister said Pakistan and Sri Lanka could explore the idea of generating wealth through joint business activities and diverting the wealth to alleviate poverty. Imran Khan offered the Sri Lankan businessmen to explore the immense opportunities offered by the government of Pakistan in the form of ease-of-doing business.

Meanwhile, Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka said his new government would strengthen bilateral relations with Pakistan and thanked the government and people of Pakistan for the constant support extended by Pakistan to safeguard the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan side appreciated the cooperation being extended by Pakistan in human resource development and capacity building, with Pakistan announcing 100 scholarships in the field of medicines (MBBS and BDS) as part of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Higher Education Cooperation Programme (PSLHECP).

Rajapaksa’s remarks came in the joint communiqué released by both Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the conclusion of the official visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Colombo.

Imran Khan reiterated Pakistan’s support for the socio-economic development of Sri Lanka in line with the vision of a “peaceful neighbourhood”. Discussing the developments in regional and global environment, the two sides reaffirmed their joint commitment to regional peace, security and stability. Imran Khan underscored the need for peaceful resolution of outstanding disputes through constructive dialogue in accordance with international legitimacy.

“Both sides reached broad consensus on ways and means to further strengthen cooperation in a comprehensive manner and agreed to hold frequent meetings; promote high-level and delegation-level exchanges; and enhance the process of consultations, cooperation and coordination between their respective institutions,” said the 20 point communiqué issued by the Foreign Office here.

The two sides stressed the importance of realising the goal of achieving $1 billion bilateral trade target and also agreed to work towards broadening and deepening of Pakistan Sri Lank Free Trade Agreement. Pakistan and Sri Lanka expressed satisfaction at the existing bilateral cooperation in the field of defence, and noted that the elevation of staff-level talks to defence dialogue has further provided an opportunity to expand security sector relations.

Of importance was the decision by both sides to underline the importance of inter-religious dialogue and harmony as a key to promote cultural diversity, peaceful co-existence and mutual empathy.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan announced a new $50 million defence credit line facility. The two sides stressed the need for stronger partnership for supporting and coordinating with each other in dealing with matters related to security, terrorism, organised crime and drug and narcotics trafficking as well as intelligence-sharing,” added the statement.

Both countries stated that the visit by Imran Khan afforded a timely opportunity to both sides to further build upon their close and regular consultations, particularly in the areas identified during the recently held foreign secretary-level bilateral political consultations, joint economic commission session, and the commerce secretaries-level talks.

The two sides reviewed the extensive engagement that exists between the two countries in promoting cultural linkages, human resource development, and capacity building in diverse areas as well as educational and technical cooperation.

While realising the existence of great potential of religious tourism to Buddhist archaeological sites and noting the close ancient and cultural ties dating back to Gandhara civilization, the two sides underscored the importance of enhancing cooperation in the field of tourism and highlighted the benefits of sharing expertise in the hospitality industry, including training and capacity building.

The Pakistan side announced its initiative of establishing Asian Civilisation and Culture Centre at University of Peradeniya, Kandy. Both sides recognised the importance of enhancing air connectivity to promote people-to-people contact, tourism, trade and culture.

In order to explore new avenues for enhancing bilateral trade and investment between the two countries, a high-level Pakistan-Sri Lanka Trade and Investment Conference was held on Wednesday. The conference provided an opportunity for effective and meaningful engagement between the business communities of the two countries.

At the conference, both Pakistan and Sri Lanka sides reiterated the importance of strengthening economic relations in key areas of mutual interest and diversifying trade and investment between the two countries.

During the visit, MoUs were signed on cooperation in tourism, cooperation between the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka and the Board of Investment of Pakistan, between Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) of Sri Lanka and International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, intent cooperation between Industrial Technology Institute of Sri Lanka and Comsats University Islamabad, and between University of Colombo and Lahore School of Economics.

The Pakistan side announced its decision to provide Rs52 million for promotion of sports in Sri Lanka, including through training and equipment.