Ready to talk if India wants to solve Kashmir: Nawaz Sharif

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Saturday said Pakistan is ready for talks with India if New Delhi was serious to resolve the Kashmir issue which, he said, is the “main cause of unrest” in the region.

Pakistan had offered talks on outstanding issues several times but India did not reciprocate, he told reporters in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he wrapped up a three-day visit.

“Kashmir was main cause of unrest in the region and India must show seriousness for resolution of the issue and honour its commitment under United Nations Security Council Resolutions,” Sharif was quoted as saying by Associated Press of Pakistan. Pakistan was committed to peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue, he said.

Sharif dismissed India’s allegations that Pakistan was behind the attack on an Indian army base camp in Uri, saying India levelled allegations against Pakistan within six hours of the incident. He said no infiltration took place across the Line of Control (LoC).

Mr Sharif’s statement comes amid strains in the relations between Pakistan and India in the wake of the Uri terror attack in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed last month.