Pakistan Seeks US, Global Backing to Resolve Kashmir Issue: ‘Welcome Any Help’
Pakistan seeks American support for resolution of Kashmir dispute, open to global assistance; India rejects third-party mediation, insists talks will be limited to PoK and terrorism.
Pakistan on Friday once again raised the Kashmir dispute, stating that it would welcome any assistance from the United States or any other country towards resolving the decades-old issue.
Responding to a question on US interest in the Kashmir matter during his weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said Islamabad would appreciate help from any nation that could contribute to stabilising the situation.
“Regarding US interest in the settlement of the Kashmir dispute, we welcome assistance not only from the US but also from any country that can help stabilise the situation and work towards resolution of the Kashmir issue, which lies at the core of peace and security in South Asia. We will welcome that,” Khan said, as quoted by the news agency.
India, meanwhile, maintains that it does not want any third-party involvement in its discussions with Pakistan. The Simla Agreement signed between the two countries in 1972 clearly rules out any external mediation on the Kashmir dispute.
Replying to a further question on whether there had been any contact between Islamabad and New Delhi to resolve matters after the four-day conflict in May during Operation Sindoor, Khan said there was no such engagement.
“Our overall diplomatic stance is well known. We wish to pursue the path of diplomacy, but it is for the Indian side to take a decision. So far, there have been no contacts between our two sides, other than routine diplomatic exchanges,” he stated.
India has reiterated that it will engage in dialogue with Pakistan only on the return of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the issue of terrorism.
In one of the deadliest attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, Lashkar-linked militants opened fire on a group of tourists in Pahalgam on Tuesday, April 22, killing at least 26 people, including foreign nationals, and injuring many others. The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the assault.
India retaliated with Operation Sindoor on May 7, carrying out pre-dawn airstrikes on nine terrorist camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, killing at least 100 militants. The operation triggered four days of cross-border clashes involving fighter jets, missile attacks and artillery fire.
