Trying to have dialogue with India but New Delhi refusing: Pak PM Imran Khan

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday that though Islamabad is trying to have a dialogue with India, it is New Delhi that is not responding to Pak's talks, leading up to a"bizarre situation". 

Khan said this in Turkey while standing alongside the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

"We are trying to have a dialogue. Trying to move towards a friendly relationship with India. We had a stand-off with India and India refuses to talk to Pakistan under the pretext that until Pakistan stops terrorism India will not talk to us. Its a bizarre situation were we feel how can you move forward if there is no dialogue, " Khan said.

The Pakistan prime minister was in Turkey on a two-day visit. 

Imran Khan said his country "Obviously wants stability" because "We want economic progress which does not come without stability and stability will only take place when Pakistan and India sit down and resolve the differences”.

"The basic problem about Pakistan, India is about Kashmir. Problem with Kashmir is that there is an indigenous movement which is sick of three decades of trying to stop popular and democratic movement," he added.

This is not the first time when Pakistan's Prime Minister has raked up the Kashmir issue and linked it with dialogue process. During the groundbreaking ceremony of Kartarpur corridor on the Pakistani side in November 2018, Khan had said, "Our political leaders, our army are on one page. We want a civilised relationship with India. We have one problem, Kashmir. If man can walk on the moon, what problems are there that we cannot resolve." 

India has been saying talks and terror cannot go together. In his first interview of 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said "Whether UPA or NDA government, never opposed dialogue(with Pakistan)" but "amid the noise of bombs and guns, the dialogue cannot be heard". 

India had tried to engage with Pakistan especially with Prime Minister Narendra Modi making a stopover at Lahore on December 25, 2015 but it was followed by a major terror attack on Indian army base in Pathankot. 

In 2018, Pakistan had suggested foreign ministers of India and Pakistan to meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. New Delhi did accept it initially but cancelled it within 24 hours after killings of its security personnel by Pakistan-based entities in Jammu & Kashmir. 

Meanwhile, Indian Diplomats continued to be harassed in Pakistan. On December 3 major incidents of harassment of Indian Diplomats were reported. An intruder tried to break into the house of an Indian Diplomat on December 10, while on the 21st Indian high commission team was questioned on the road in Peshawar. The electricity was cut for four hours on December 25 at the house of the second secretary. India has sent a number of note verbale also to Pakistani ministry of foreign affairs regarding the issue.