ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar reiterated on Friday that Pakistan is ready to engage in comprehensive talks with India, including discussions on the long-standing Kashmir dispute.
“Pakistan is ready for comprehensive talks with India,” said Ishaq Dar while talking to journalists at Parliament House, months after the two nuclear neighbours saw their deadliest clash in decades.
The Pahalgam attack sparked heavy fighting between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India in May, the latest escalation of a decades-old rivalry as New Delhi blamed it on Islamabad without offering any evidence.
In response to the Indian aggression, Pakistan’s armed forces launched a large-scale retaliatory military action, named “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos”, and targeted several Indian military targets across multiple regions.
Pakistan downed six Indian fighter jets, including three Rafales, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US.
The ceasefire was first announced by US President Donald Trump on social media after Washington held talks with both sides, but India has differed with Trump’s claims that it resulted from his intervention and threats to sever trade talks.
However, Pakistan has acknowledged Trump’s efforts and formally recommended him for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role in defusing tensions between Pakistan and India last month.
Talking to reporters, DPM Dar said that the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC) with New Delhi is holding, and reiterated that the initial request for de-escalation had come from the Indian side through the United States (US).
“I received a phone call from the United States regarding a ceasefire,” Dar said, adding that he made it clear that Pakistan never wanted war.
Dar, who also holds the portfolio of foreign minister, said that Pakistan had not requested any external mediation to initiate talks with India but was approached about holding discussions at a neutral venue.
However, he clarified that Pakistan would not engage in talks based on a single-point agenda. “Any dialogue with India must include all outstanding issues, including Kashmir,” Dar added.
Separately, FM Ishaq Dar confirmed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio does not have a scheduled visit to Pakistan at this time.
