PML-N President and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday expressed optimism about restoring Pakistan’s ties with India and meeting with Indian premier Narendra Modi.

The remarks, made during an interview with Indian journalist Barkha Dutt, come on the eve of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit being hosted in Islamabad, which Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is scheduled to attend.

“I have always been a supporter of good relations with India,” Nawaz told Dutt. “I hope that there is an opportunity to revive our relationship.”

The PML-N supremo did not agree to appear on camera but spoke to Dutt on record.

“It would have been a great thing if PM Modi had also attended the SCO summit here in Pakistan. I do hope that he (Modi) and us will have an opportunity to sit together in the not-so-distant future.”

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In 2023, Nawaz expressed his intention to normalise Pakistan’s ties with its neighbouring countries, particularly India.

“We will have to improve our relations with India, Afghanistan, and Iran. We need to ensure stronger relations with China,” he had said and recalled that during his government’s tenures, two Indian prime ministers — Atal Bihari Vajpa­yee in 1999 and Narendra Modi in 2015 — had visited Pakistan.

“Modi Sahib and Vajpayee Sahib came here (on my invitation). Did anyone come here before them?” he asked.

When Modi was re-elected for a landmark third term in office, both Nawaz and his brother, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, congratulated the Indian premier. “Your party’s success in recent elections reflects the confidence of the people in your leadership,” Nawaz had said in a post on X.

“Let us replace hate with hope and seize the opportunity to shape the destiny of the two billion people of South Asia,” he had added.

Hours later, PM Modi responded to the two, thanking PM Shehbaz for his “good wishes”. To Nawaz, he said: “Appreciate your message Nawaz Sharif. The people of India have always stood for peace, security and progressive ideas. Advancing the well-being and security of our people shall always remain our priority.”

Pakistan and India have had strained relations since their partition in 1947, marked by territorial disputes, particularly over Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and several wars.

The two nations have faced persistent diplomatic tensions, border skirmishes, and mutual suspicions over security concerns.

Efforts at peace talks and confidence-building measures have often been derailed, while military standoffs and conflicting narratives further complicate the relationship, making progress toward lasting peace difficult.