ISLAMABAD: Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, reaffirmed his country's steadfast commitment to upholding peace in the area but added that nothing less than a resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir conflict in accordance with UN resolutions and Kashmiris' wishes would suffice for a lasting peace in South Asia.

"We want permanent peace with India through dialogue since war is not an option for either of the countries," The News quoted Shehbaz as saying, while speaking to a group of students from the Harvard University.

Sharif emphasised that commerce, the economy, and improving living circumstances between Islamabad and New Delhi should be competitive. He added that although Pakistan was not at war, its nuclear weapons and well-trained army served as a deterrent.  "We invest in our military to secure our borders and not for aggression" he said.

Students from different racial and academic backgrounds made up the delegation.  The Prime Minister welcomed the students and had an open dialogue on the problems Pakistan was now facing.

Commenting on  the national economy and the IMF programme, Shehbaz responded that structural issues and political unrest in recent decades are to blame for Pakistan's economic catastrophe. He claimed that during the first few decades after Pakistan's founding, all economic sectors experienced tremendous growth when there were goals, a strong national will, and systems in place to make them happen.

"We eventually lost the upper hand in industries where we had an advantage. The decline in national production was caused by a lack of direction, vigour, and policy action."

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