In a letter to his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India desires cordial relations with the people of Pakistan but an environment of trust, devoid of terror and hostility, is "imperative" for it.
PM Modi wrote the letter to Imran Khan to extend greetings to the people of that country on the occasion of Pakistan Day, which commemorates March 23, 1940, when the All-India Muslim League demanded a separate nation for the Muslims of India.
"As a neighbouring country, India desires cordial relations with the people of Pakistan," PM Modi wrote in the letter in what appeared to be a rare peace overture, adding, "For this, an environment of trust, devoid of terror and hostility, is imperative."
Two senior officials at Pakistan's Foreign Ministry confirmed the contents of the letter to The Associated Press. People familiar with the matter said it is a routine letter sent every year.
The Indian Prime Minister also conveyed his best wishes to Pak PM Khan and the people of the country in dealing with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ties between India-Pakistan
There have been indications of positive movement in ties between India and Pakistan, according to a PTI report.
The development comes days after Pak PM Khan expressed his desire for good relations with India, but said the first step should be taken by India as his past peace overtures were not positively received.
Earlier in February, the Indian and Pakistani soldiers recommitted themselves to the 2003 ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
The letter also comes days after Pakistan's powerful army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, at a seminar on security issues in Islamabad, called for a peaceful resolution in the disputed region of Kashmir and for peace talks with archrival India.
India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.
The relations between the two countries nosedived after India withdrew the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two union territories in 2019.
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