Islamabad

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday he was "absolutely willing and ready" to engage with India for the sake of regional peace and prosperity, but the onus was on New Delhi to take the necessary measures "for meaningful and result-oriented engagement".

"I am absolutely ready and willing to have a serious dialogue and discussion with our counterparts, Indians, provided that they show sincerity of purpose and they show that they are ready to discuss issues that have really kept us at a distance over decades," he said.

The Pak PM was addressing the 6th summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia in Kazakhstan.

The Prime Minister regretted issues that have kept the two countries apart and hampered the promotion of bilateral trade and investment.

"This has to stop," he stressed, adding, "but the onus remains on India to take the necessary steps for meaningful and result oriented-engagement".

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"Pakistan desires peaceful relations with all its neighbours, including India."