After the elections, there will be firm friendship between India and Pakistan, most of the neighbors distanced themselves and Shahbaz government supported India.

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has said that India-Pakistan relations may improve after the conclusion of the Indian general elections. India is currently going through a parliamentary election cycle. Voting will be held in seven phases starting from April 19 and ending on June 1. Counting of votes will take place on June 4 and results are expected on the same day. Speaking to reporters outside Pakistan’s Parliament, Asif said that India-Pakistan relations have their own background. India–Pakistan relations have been cool for many years now, mainly over the issue of Pakistan-based terrorism directed at India and Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir. Narendra Modi government says that terrorism and talks cannot go together.

Asif’s statement comes at a time when Pakistan is facing security and political challenges amid strained relations with most of its neighbours. While Pakistan has had tense relations with India since 1947, relations with Iran and Afghanistan have also been strained more recently. While Iran and Pakistan have carried out airstrikes in each other’s territories, Pakistan-Afghanistan relations have also been strained as the Afghanistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been carrying out deadly attacks across Pakistan for over a year. And this has affected the country’s relations with the Taliban rulers.

Asif is the second Pakistani leader to comment on relations with India in recent times. Last month, Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had said that his government would seriously consider restoring trade relations with India. India-Pakistan trade relations have been cold since 2019. India-Pakistan relations deteriorated after the Pulwama terror attack in February 2019, which the Modi government blamed on Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). India responded with air strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammed hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan retaliated with air strikes in Jammu and Kashmir. Then, in August 2019, the Modi government abrogated Article 370 and ended the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.