Daily Times

Erstwhile Punjab chief minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif suggested Tuesday recommended a Singapore-style summit between archrivals Pakistan and India to achieve regional peace.

“If the United States and North Korea can return from the brink of a nuclear flashpoint, there is no reason why Pakistan and India cannot do the same, beginning with a dialogue on Kashmir whose heroic people have resisted and rejected Indian occupation,” he said in a tweet.

The statement came hours after US President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un signed a landmark pact between the two nations.

The Singapore Summit should set a good precedent for Pakistan and India to follow. Ever since the start of Korean War, the two nations have been at odds with one another, both threatening to use military force with their nuclear arsenals facing each other, he added.

“Pakistan and India should hold comprehensive talks to resolve Kashmir dispute for regional peace,” he said, adding that the world must also focus on peace prospects in Afghanistan. Earlier, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim met in Singapore for the landmark summit.

It was the first-ever meeting between sitting leaders of the US and North Korea and was closely watched around the world.

“We’ll meet again,” Trump said after a signing ceremony, standing with Kim on the verandah where they first met. “We will meet many times.”

Published in Daily Times, June 13^th 2018.