New Delhi: Stating that war is not an option, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed readiness to engage in talks with its “neighbour” –  in an apparent reference to India – on “serious matters”.

Speaking at a summit on mineral development in Islamabad on Tuesday, Sharif said, “We are prepared to talk to them, provided that the neighbour is serious to talk [on] serious matters … because war is no more an option.”

Pointing out that Pakistan was a nuclear power, Sharif added, “And God forbid if there is a nuclear flashpoint, who will live to tell what happened? So war is not an option."

Stating that Pakistan has fought three wars in the last 75 years, which resulted in economic deprivation and a shortage of resources. “Is this the way that we adopt or have economic competition?” he asked, as quoted by Dawn newspaper. Pakistan has fought all three wars with India.

At the same time, Sharif said that the “neighbour has to understand that we cannot become normal neighbours unless abnormalities are removed, unless our serious issues are understood and addressed through peaceful and meaningful discussions”.

Apart from Pakistan’s eastern neighbour, Sharif also conveyed the aspiration to foster friendly relations with the United States. “We want to work with Americans. We want to have the best of relations with them as in the past, based on mutual respect and trust [and in which] we don’t try to deceive each other,” he said.

Pakistan and the United States have likely one of the closest relations in recent years. This is, especially striking when US President Joe Biden had not spoken once with previous Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Earlier in January, Sharif had extended an offer for talks to India on all outstanding issues but had later clarified that this can only take place after retraction of the August 5, 2019 move to dilute the constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir.

India had responded that the time was not right as there “should be a conducive atmosphere which does not have terror, hostility or violence”.

Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto had made a rare journey to India for the SCO foreign ministers meeting in Goa. But, the meeting got overshadowed by a verbal volley by the Indian and Pakistani ministers.

Diplomatic relations have remained downgraded since Pakistan asked the Indian high commissioner to leave and snapped trade ties following the August 5, 2019 announcement.

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