Pakistani premier offers dialogue to India amid tension

By Aamir Latif and Islamuddin Sajid

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday offered a dialogue to India to quell the mounting escalation between the two countries.

In a televised address to the nation, Khan said his country was forced to take action against Indian jets as “no sovereign country can allow the other to act like a complainant, judge and executor altogether”.

The prime minister’s remarks came after Pakistan and India claimed that they shot down each other’s fighter jets.

“We were fully planned that there must be no collateral damage. We just wanted to show our capability. This was the only purpose”, he said.

The prime minister invited India for a dialogue, saying “better sense should prevail”.

We should sit together and resolve the issue through talks,” Khan added.

Khan observed that wars usually lead to miscalculations.

“All the major wars in the world (have) led to miscalculations. The World War I and the World War II took years to end, which otherwise were supposed to culminate in months. Similarly, the war on terror is on for last 17 years,” he said.

“This is the history that wars are meant to be miscalculated. My question to India is that the weapons you and we have, can we afford a miscalculation? Where will it leave us? It will neither be in my control nor Modi’s,” he maintained.

The prime minister noted that he had offered the Indian government of full cooperation vis-a-vis investigation into Pulwama incident. “I fully understand the grief and pain of the deceased Indian troops,” he added.

“Pakistan is fully ready to cooperate and act if any Pakistani is involved in Pulwama attack. We will not allow anyone to use our soil for terrorism in any other country”, he went on to say.

He confirmed that two Indian MIGs were shot down, and two pilots were captured.