War with India not an option: Nawaz Sharif

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has asserted that war with India was not an option, media reported on Friday.

During a meeting here on Thursday with President Mamnoon Hussain, Sharif affirmed Pakistan's desire for friendly ties with India, all its neighbours and the world at large for sustainable development, The Nation reported.

The prime minister said the US and world powers wanted Pakistan-India dialogue to resume and added that Pakistan "has always been for talks".

An official statement issued after the meeting said: "They discussed the regional situation and reiterated Pakistan's resolve to have friendly relations with all the neighbouring countries."

Relations between Pakistan and India are at their lowest ebb these days as the two sides blame each other for firing along the line of control (LoC) and the international boundary.

The growing tension has so far seen cancellation of bilateral meetings and a war of words between the traditional rivals.

The two neighbours are, however, in contact through the back-channel but there has hardly been any positive news for peace-lovers on both sides.

Tariq Fatemi, special assistant to the prime minister on foreign affairs, and Asif Kirmani, special assistant on political affairs, also attended the meeting.