Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed that India desires normal and neighborly relations with Pakistan, emphasizing that it is crucial for Islamabad to create an environment free from terrorism and hostilities.
Modi made these comments in an interview with Nikkei Asia ahead of his participation in the G7 summit and the third in-person meeting of Quad leaders, during which he would also visit Papua New Guinea and Australia.
The G7 consists of Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, and the European Union, while the Quad includes India, the United States, Japan, and Australia. India-Pakistan relations have deteriorated since the terrorist attacks at the Pathankot air base in January 2016 and on a Central Reserve Police Force convoy in Pulwama in February 2019.
The decision by India to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by abrogating Article 370 of the Constitution and the subsequent bifurcation of the region into two Union Territories have further strained the relationship between the two neighboring countries.
