Imran Khan delivers a speech at the opening ceremony for the second BRI Forum in Beijing

"We are working for a peaceful region. We have decent relationship with Iran and we are trying to strengthen them. The only problem right now is our relationship with India," Khan said

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed that his country is hoping to have a “civilised relationship” with New Delhi after the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in India are over. He also stated that while Pakistan has a “decent relationship” with other countries, its relationship with India is the “only problem” for ensuring peace and stability in the region.

“Whatever happens in Afghanistan affects Pakistan’s bordering areas. So we are working for a peaceful region. We have a decent relationship with Iran and we are trying to strengthen them. The only problem right now is our relationship with India,” he told state-run APP news agency, according to PTI. “But we are hoping that after the Indian elections, we will again hope to have a civilised relationship with India too,” he said.

His recent remarks come days after he had said that there may be a better chance of peace talks with India and “some kind of settlement in Kashmir” if the BJP wins the Lok Sabha elections, causing a furore in the Opposition. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hit back at the opposition and alleged it could be a “ploy by the Congress to oust the ruling party.”

Khan, who is currently in China to take part in the 2nd Belt and Road Forum, (BRF), said that unless there is peace and stability in the region, economic prosperity is difficult for Pakistan, and that is what right now the Pakistan government is working on.

India once again gave the Belt and Road Forum a miss over its opposition to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which cuts through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The United States also did not attend the forum this year.

India’s relationship with Pakistan has nosedived further ever since the Pulwama terror attack in February. Islamabad has maintained it has no role in the attack, despite Pakistan based outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad claiming responsibility of the attack.