Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said Islamabad would await the completion of the Indian general election before it resumes efforts to initiate a dialogue with the country.

He said this in Riyadh at the Saudi investment conclave in reply to a question on what steps his government would take to work with India to restore peace in the sub-continent.

Stating that Pakistan needs peace and stability more than any other country to create a conducive climate for investment, Khan said: “When I won the election and came to power, the first thing I tried to do was extend a hand of peace to India. Unfortunately, and I think it is because of the Indian elections coming, and because sadly anti-Pakistan rhetoric brings in votes, I am afraid we got no response from India.

“In fact, we got rebuffed by India. What we are hoping is that we will wait till the elections, and then again we will resume our peace talks with India. Peace with India is important not just for Pakistan but for India as well. All the money that should be diverted to human resources ends up diverted to non-productive arms race.’’

Khan’s observations came on a day India registered a “strong protest” over the killing of three Indian soldiers by Pakistani militants in the Sunderbani sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.

India summoned a senior official of the Pakistan High Commission and a demarche was issued on the “attempted cross-border infiltration” in which two Pakistani armed intruders were killed by Indian security personnel.

A statement issued by the ministry said India condemned the “provocative action by Pakistan which reveals their complicity in aiding and abetting terrorism and exposes the hollowness of Pakistan’s deceitful claims to promote constructive engagement and desire for peace’’.

India also gave the Pakistani diplomat an updated list of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and International Border this year. As per India’s count, Pakistani forces have carried out 1,591 incidents of unprovoked ceasefire violations in 2018 till date.

The ministry, however, did not comment on Khan’s remark. India’s position for months now has been that talks and terror cannot go together.