Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday, in an interview to a group of television journalists in Islamabad, said that late former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee had told him that Kashmir would have been resolved if the BJP had not lost the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, PTI reported.
Khan said that former external affairs minister of India Natwar Singh was also present at that meeting. “It shows that there is a solution of Kashmir and both countries were close to resolve it,” he said, as per PTI.
Khan said that war is not a solution to the Kashmir issue, and that it can be resolved only through talks.
According to the report, Khan said unless there was a dialogue, various options on resolution of Kashmir cannot be discussed.
When asked about the “options” to resolve the Kashmir issue, Khan said there were two or three solutions, which have been in discussions. He did not elaborate further, saying it was “too early to talk about them”.
Ruling out the possibility of any war with India, he said two nuclear armed countries would not fight because “there are always unintended consequences”.
Stating that Pakistan was serious to develop peaceful ties with all its neighbors, Khan said that India was not ready to hold talks with the country due to the upcoming general elections, the report stated.
Replying to a query on his views on the military’s role in shaping of foreign policy in every country, including the US, he said, “Advice from the establishment is taken in those issues where security situation is involved.
Khan said the Pakistan Army and his government “are on the same page” and his decisions are “backed” by the military.
