Unveiling his foreign policy roadmap, Pakistani  prime minister Nawaz Sharif vowed to "progressively pursue" normalcy in ties with India while actively seeking solutions to outstanding issues, including Kashmir. Listing his government's foreign policy priorities a day after assuming office for the third time, Sharif in a message sent to the heads of all Pakistani missions, said neighbors will be the focus of "immediate attention".

 

"Unless the region is peaceful, our efforts for growth and development will not meet with success," he said. "With India, the Prime Minister stressed the need to progressively pursue normalcy in our bilateral relations, while actively seeking solutions for all outstanding issues, Including J&K," said a statement issued by the

Foreign office.

 

Sharif, 63, who was sworn in for a record third term as premier yesterday, had signaled even before the May 11 general election that he intended to work on improving relations with India. He has said that he worked hard for detente with India before former military ruler Pervez Musharraf deposed him in 1999. "We'll pick the threads where we left. We want to move toward better relations with India, to resolve the remaining issues through peaceful means, including that of Kashmir," Sharif told the media recently.

 

During the poll campaign, Sharif had vowed to revive the Indo-Pak peace process which was interrupted in 1999 by Musharraf. He had started the peace process with then prime Minister AB Vajpayee.