Pakistan’s Sharif Seeks Saudi, UAE, Kuwait Help to Ease Tensions with India

Pakistan Seeks Gulf Nations’ Support to De-escalate India-Pakistan Tensions After Pahalgam Attack

On Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appealed to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait to help reduce escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, which were triggered by the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. The attack on April 22 resulted in the deaths of 26 people, primarily tourists, and has led to heightened hostilities between the two countries.

In separate meetings with the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait in Islamabad, Sharif emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to peace and stability in South Asia. He urged these “brotherly” nations, which are significant players in the Muslim world, to use their influence to encourage India to de-escalate the situation. These diplomatic talks followed rising tensions after India accused Pakistan of being involved in the attack without providing evidence.

Sharif strongly rejected India’s unfounded charges, restating Pakistan’s denial of any involvement in the incident and demanding an open and unbiased international inquiry. Despite the stressful situation, he also reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to peace and denounced all forms of terrorism.

The Prime Minister thanked Saudi Arabia for its steadfast support of Pakistan, which has been essential to the country’s economic development over the previous 15 months. He gave the ambassadors his word that Pakistan would not irresponsibly reverse its success and that its attention would continue to be on consolidating its economic gains.
In his meetings, Sharif also discussed Pakistan’s long-standing struggle with terrorism, noting how the country itself had been a victim of terror attacks for decades. He stressed that Pakistan had nothing to do with the Pahalgam attack, adding that the country was open to international scrutiny through a fair investigation to determine the true perpetrators of the tragedy.

Pakistan was reassured by the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait that they will continue to support efforts to preserve peace and stability in the area. They also reaffirmed their commitment to cooperating with Pakistan to find a peaceful solution to the problems and voiced their worries about the rising tensions between India and Pakistan.

China’s interest in the developing India-Pakistan conflict was further highlighted when Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong met with Sharif to discuss the matter. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait had earlier in the week encouraged both sides to exercise caution and to settle their issues amicably.

These diplomatic moves come as Pakistan continues to engage in global discussions, seeking international assistance to calm the tensions, with an emphasis on a diplomatic resolution through dialogue and peaceful means.