Nawaz stresses on repairing diplomatic ties with neighbouring nations including India

LAHORE: Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif has stressed on repairing diplomatic ties with neighbouring nations, including India, Afghanistan and Iran, saying that Islamabad's global credibility hinged on amicable relations with nations the country shared borders with, local media reported.

He said a country cannot expect to be taken seriously on a global stage if neighbouring countries are upset with it, The Express Tribune reported.

The three-time former prime minister said that improving ties with India, Afghanistan, and Iran, and strengthening ties with China was on his party Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N)'s agenda.

Recalling the events of 1999, he said his government opposed the Kargil war, noting that subsequent hindsight validated that he was right and just in taking that stance, The Express Tribune reported.

Clarifying that their stance during Kargil was not a sign of weakness, he emphasised that when it comes to matters of national interest and security, they've not shied away from tough decisions in the past, such as conducting atomic tests despite unsettling world powers, to make Pakistan invincible.

Making a generic statement, the former prime minister said that those responsible for the country's current state ought to face accountability. However, unlike his previous address on Friday, he stayed clear from taking names, leading many to interpret this as a return to his initial stance on accountability. This address dispelled that aforesaid impression.

Sharif, who was all praises for his own tenure, said that Pakistan was progressing socially and financially under his rules till 2017, when development was at its peak. He lamented a shift in trajectory post-2017, describing a downturn in the country's fortunes, The Express Tribune reported.