“Don’t fight wars with neighbours… open the doors of friendship… open the doors of your hearts,” said Punjab province Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Friday, in an apparent outreach by the new government in Islamabad, arguing for enhanced ties between India and Pakistan.
In her speech at Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara, Maryam invoked her father, three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, urging for a shift towards friendship over hostility. Addressing a gathering of some 3,000 Indian Sikh pilgrims, Maryam stressed the importance of fostering goodwill between the two nations.
During her speech, the head of Pakistan’s most populous region also highlighted her family’s roots in the Indian city of Amritsar, underlining the shared heritage between the people of Punjab on both sides of the border. According to The Indian Express, Maryam also praised the appointment of the first Sikh minister in Pakistan, stressing the need for cross-border cooperation.
Maryam’s remarks resonate with her grandfather’s migration from Jatti Umra in India to Pakistan’s Lahore, underscoring a personal connection to the shared history between the two nations. “Once someone came from India, from Jatti Umra. He brought soil from there, so I put it on my grandfather’s grave,” she recounted, highlighting the emotional ties between the two countries.
Her speech marks a departure from traditional rhetoric, signaling a potential shift in Pakistan’s approach towards India. This outreach comes as India has consistently stressed the need for Pakistan to take credible, irreversible and verifiable action to end cross-border terrorism. India consistently raises the issue of Pakistan’s continued support to cross-border terrorism and terrorist infiltration in bilateral, regional and multilateral fora.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in an exclusive conversation with Network18 recently, sent a strong message to Pakistan. The government will give a befitting reply to any terrorist who tries to disturb peace in India, he said. “If he [terrorist] flees to Pakistan, we will follow him and take him down on Pakistani soil. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken the truth… India has the capability and Pakistan has also started understanding that,” Singh said.
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