Pakistan wants an "uninterrupted, continued dialogue" with arch-rival India, its new foreign minister said on Monday (20), stressing the importance of talks between the nuclear-armed countries who have fought three wars.
"We are not only two neighbours but we are two atomic powers," Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who became Pakistan's foreign minister for the second time after being sworn in Monday, told his first press conference.
Pakistan's new prime minister Imran Khan also called for a better relationship with India in his first televised address late Sunday, as did the previous government of Nawaz Sharif.
But Sharif's overtures to India are widely believed to have incurred opposition from Pakistan's powerful military, and he was ousted by the Supreme Court last year for alleged corruption.
"We have long-lasting problems... we don't have, in my opinion, any solution other than talks," Qureshi said of the relationship with India, especially in a situation "where reaction time is very limited".
"We need an uninterrupted, continued dialogue," he said, referencing Kashmir in particular.
Relations between India and Pakistan have been tense ever since independence from Britain in 1947 -- particularly over Kashmir, the divided Himalayan territory over which they have fought two of their three wars.
Qureshi said Indian prime minister Narendra Modi had sent a letter congratulating Khan, and "sent a message to start talks".
There was no official statement on the letter from the Indian foreign ministry, but the Press Trust of India also reported its existence and content.
The new foreign minister also said he wanted to travel to Afghanistan to deliver a "message of love, friendship and a new beginning".
"Without peace and stability in Afghanistan, there won't be rest, peace and stability in Pakistan," he said.
Kabul has long accused Islamabad of harbouring insurgent groups on its territory, including the Afghan Taliban. They are believed to have links to Pakistan's shadowy military establishment, which aims to use them as a bulwark against India.
Pakistan has denied the claims but they are echoed in Washington, with whom Islamabad's relations are also tense.
In January the US suspended security assistance to Pakistan over accusations it was aiding militants.
"I have some idea of their priorities and concerns," said Qureshi, adding that he will talk to them "straight".
Qureshi previously held the position of foreign minister between 2008 and 2011.
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)