ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday renewed its offer to hold dialogue with India to resolve contentious issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and terrorism, to restore peace in the region and address the problems confronting the people of the two countries.

The offer was made by Prime Minister Imran Khan in a letter written to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to felicitate him on assuming office for a second term after a thumping victory of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recent national elections.

In his letter, PM Khan has emphasised that the two sides should shun their differences. In his previous letter, he had agreed to hold talks on the issue of terrorism on India’s demand.

According to the state-run Radio Pakistan, the prime minister in his letter has underscored Pakistan’s consistent policy of peaceful neighbourhood and the vision of working for durable peace and stability in South Asia with peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

The prime minister also emphasised the need to work together on the basis of mutual respect and trust to address challenges faced by the people of both the countries, including poverty and underdevelopment.