Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday greeted his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan ahead of Pakistan Day as both countries emphasised peace and prosperity for the region.
Khan in a tweet, shared the message he received from Modi.
Received msg from PM Modi: “I extend my greetings & best wishes to the people of Pakistan on the National Day of Pakistan. It is time that ppl of Sub-continent work together for a democratic, peaceful, progressive & prosperous region, in an atmosphere free of terror and violence”
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 22, 2019
While welcoming Modi’s message Khan, once again called for dialogue between both countries, especially on the ‘central issue of Kashmir’.I welcome PM Modi’s message to our people. As we celebrate Pakistan Day I believe it is time to begin a comprehensive dialogue with India to address & resolve all issues, esp the central issue of Kashmir, & forge a new relationship based on peace & prosperity for all our people.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 22, 2019
The goodwill messages came against the backdrop of recent escalation of tensions between the two countries following an attack on Indian security forces in Kashmir’s Pulwama district. The events in the last week of February took the two arch-rival neighbours closer to war than any of the standoffs between them over the past decade.