India and Pakistan should move from confrontation to cooperation, Pakistan's High Commissioner Abdul Basit on Tuesday said while adding that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is keen to normalise bilateral relations.
Basit was speaking at an Eid Milan programme hosted by him at the high commission which was attended by moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and some other separatist leaders.
"We want relations to improve. We should live like good neighbours and become an instrument for each others development. We have seen 67 years of conflict. We should move from confrontation to cooperation. We pray this becomes possible," he said.
Basit expressed hope that in the coming months the two sides will sit and discuss the issues between the two countries.
"Our wish is that all disputes particularly Kashmir should be resolved through dialogue," he said.
He said that under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan wants good ties with India and will do its best to work for a solution to all the disputes.
The high commissioner also expressed hope that India and Pakistan will have good relations in future.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Sharif on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Ufa, Russia on July 11, which ended with the announcement that he would visit Islamabad in 2016 for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit.
The Eid Milan was attended by people from various walks of life including Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Congress leader Mani Shakar Aiyar, journalists and academics.
Basit especially thanked Mirwaiz for flying from Jammu and Kashmir to attend this programme.
