Pak PM Sharif expresses desire for peaceful ties with India: Media Report

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif has expressed his desire for peaceful relations with India based on the principles of "equity, justice and mutual respect" and the resolution of the Kashmir issue

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed his desire for peaceful relations with India based on the principles of "equity, justice and mutual respect" and the resolution of the Kashmir issue, according to a media report on Friday.

Sharif also urged the international community to play a "facilitative role" to ensure durable peace and stability in South Asia, it said, amidst a chill in bilateral ties over the Kashmir issue and cross border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

Sharif expressed these views during a meeting with the newly-appointed Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Neil Hawkins, on Thursday, the Dawn Newspaper quoted the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) as saying.

Pakistan desires peaceful ties with India, based on the principles of equity, justice and mutual respect. In this context, a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people, was indispensable, Sharif said.

The international community has to play a facilitative role in this regard, as it was essential for durable peace and stability in South Asia, he said.

India has repeatedly told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility, and violence. India has said the onus is on Pakistan to create an environment free of terror and hostility.

The bilateral ties deteriorated further after India announced withdrawing the special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories in August 2019.

India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir was, is and shall forever remain an integral part of the country. It also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.
 

 

Pak appoints new central bank chief

Pakistan appointed a former deputy governor of the central bank to head the monetary authority as the nation battles one of Asia’s fastest inflation and faltering foreign-currency reserves.

Jameel Ahmad, a former deputy governor will now head the State Bank of Pakistan for a term of five years, according to a statement of the finance ministry. He will replace Murtaza Syed, who was the interim chief since early May.

The new governor faces the task of reining in the fastest inflation in 14 years due to soaring energy costs while shoring up foreign-exchange reserves that have fallen below $10 billion, a level that covers less than two months worth of imports. Bloomberg

Floods cause outage of internet

Key Pakistani telecom operators reported that internet connectivity was down in some regions, including capital city Islamabad, on Friday, while the country’s telecom regulator said it was investigating the issue.

State-owned Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd’s (PTCL) optical fiber network was experiencing faults and so users in northern and central regions of the country were facing an outage, it said in a tweet.

“Due to heavy rains and floods, PTCL’s optical fiber network is experiencing some technical faults,” it said, adding it was working to restore services as a priority.
 

PTCL’s problems had a knock-on effect on other service providers. PTI