In his bid to further regional development, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday reiterated his willingness to collaborate with neighbouring India, emphasizing that Pakistan harbours “nothing against anyone”.
“We are prepared to talk with everyone, even with our neighbour, provided that the neighbour is serious to talk serious matters on the table because war is no more an option,” PM Shehbaz said Tuesday, addressing the inaugural session of the Pakistan Minerals Summit in Islamabad.
The summit is aimed at increasing Foreign Direct Investment in the country and moving from ‘Dust to Development’.
Despite a history of strained ties between the two nations, marred by three wars since their independence in 1947, the premier sought to promote valuable engagement. The bilateral relations have remained seriously impacted since India’s decision to revoke the special status of occupied Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, leading to a virtual standstill in diplomatic interactions between the two countries.
He regretted that during the past 75 years, Pakistan could not fully exploit its natural deposits worth around $6 trillion.
He recalled that with Russian support, the Pakistan Steel Mills was established during the 70s while in Reko Diq, a hefty penalty of $10 billion was imposed on Pakistan. Had the penalty been enforced, the entire country’s foreign reserves would have been depleted, he said.
Due to certain cartels, natural resources were not explored in the past, he said, adding that financial and political reasons were also a cause of delay in this exploration. This required “deep introspection”, he added.
Similarly, he contin ued, Chinot iron ores fields were another “worst example of corruption”.
