Summary PM Nawaz Sharif has said that Pakistan and India should spend money on people’s welfare.
ISLAMABAD (APP) - Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday Pakistan and India instead of wasting their resources on buying weapons, should spend the money on socio-economic betterment and welfare of their people.
“I think, the arms race has to stop and it is up to the two countries and the leadership of both the countries to take this initiative,” the Prime Minister said in an interview with NDTV, ahead of his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in New York today (Sunday).
Replying to a question, the Prime Minister said Pakistan and India should allocate budget for their defence needs, but to a reasonable extent. The two sides need to spend money on their social sectors and address the poverty and other social issues, he added. “So, I think both the countries are needed to sit together and seriously ponder over it, only then we will be able to take some action,” he remarked.
To a question, the Prime Minister said it would be his first meeting with Dr Singh and he was looking forward to talking to him. “I will renew my invitation to him to visit Pakistan and then we will pick up the threads from where we left in 1999,” he added.
To another question, he said, “I am looking forward to that meeting tomorrow, and we hope to discuss some pleasant things.”
Prime Minister Sharif recalled that Prime Minister Singh was very kind to call him immediately after the general election and congratulated him.
“We want him (Dr Manmohan Singh) to come to Pakistan, see his native village and then of course it will give us opportunity to discuss things at length,” he added.
About the incident in Jammu, the Prime Minister said it was a sad incident and Pakistan had condemned it in strong words.
He added that Pakistan had also proposed to India to investigate the issue jointly at military and foreign office levels, or the matter could be referred to the United Nations for an independent inquiry, or some mechanism be evolved whereby both countries feel that it was a satisfactory mechanism.
The Prime Minister, however, maintained that the two sides must proceed rather than blaming each other. “I think, we should now be taking steps to put an end to such kind of practices. This keeps on happening on both sides, and we blame each other for that, for which we are not responsible.”
