Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday stated that his nation desires a relationship of peace and stability with all neighbors, including India. His statement was made shortly after India’s S Jaishankar mentioned the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack in Kashmir, and named the “three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism”.
Dar Raises Concerns Over Developments in South Asia
In his speech at the SCO foreign ministers’ conference in China’s city of Tianjin, Dar referred to the last three months as having witnessed “extremely disturbing developments” in South Asia. He also accused India of blaming Pakistan for the attack at Pahalgam “without a credible investigation or verifiable evidence”.
This, he added, had brought the two nuclear-armed nations to the threshold of a big war.
India Traces Pahalgam Attack to Pakistan-Based Terrorists
India has also located the Pakistan-based perpetrators of the April attack in Pahalgam, and released these details to a number of countries as part of a diplomatic initiative.
The initiative followed barely a week after India conducted Operation Sindoor in May against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as a response to the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians.
Pakistan Reaffirms Commitment to Ceasefire
Dar, who is also Pakistan’s deputy PM, said his country “remains steadfast in its commitment to the ceasefire”.
The two nations came to an understanding on May 10 to bring the conflict to an end after four days of heavy cross-border missile and drone attacks.
Dar Calls for Dialogue and Diplomacy Over Conflict
Dar called for dialogue. “We believe that disputes and differences are resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, instead of conflict and coercion,” he added.
India has emphasized that it would only talk to Pakistan, if at all, about terrorism because terrorism seems to be Pakistan’s state policy against India.
Dar Condemns All Forms of Terrorism at SCO Meet
Dar, however, said at the SCO meet: “Terrorism is the common concern of humanity that threatens global security. All forms of terrorism, including state terrorism are condemnable. We must shun the use of terrorism for political purposes and combat this menace through a cooperative approach, including addressing its root causes,” he said.
The SCO has 10 member states: China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. China is currently chairing the SCO in its rotating presidency.
