ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s political and military leadership on Friday marked the annual Day of Solidarity with Kashmir, vowing to continue political support for those living in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir and for a solution to the disputed region’s status in accordance with U.N. resolutions.
Thousands of people were expected to take part in anti-India rallies across Pakistan, as well as in the portion of Kashmir that Pakistan administers. Prime Minister Imran Khan was set to deliver a speech later Friday in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-held Kashmir.
Kashmir is split between Pakistan and India and claimed by both in its entirety. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training Kashmiri insurgents in India’s portion of the Himalayan region. Pakistan says it only provides moral and diplomatic support and denies it supports militants.
Shibli Faraz, Pakistan’s information minister, told The Associated Press that “the onus is on India to create an enabling environment by rescinding its illegal and unilateral actions,” referring to India’s revoking of Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status in August 2019.
In southwest Pakistan, at least 16 people were wounded when an unknown assailant threw a hand grenade at people standing along a road minutes after a pro-Kashmir rally passed through the area, local police chief Wazir Ali Marri said. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place in Sibi district in Baluchistan province. The restive province has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatists demanding a greater share of local natural gas and mineral resources.
In Kashmir, Pakistan has long pushed for the right to self-determination under a U.N. resolution passed in 1948, which called for a referendum on whether Kashmiris wanted to merge with Pakistan or India.
The future of Muslim-majority Kashmir was left unresolved at the end of British colonial rule in 1947, when the Indian subcontinent was divided into predominantly Hindu India and mainly Muslim Pakistan.
India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir. In 2019, a car bombing in Indian-controlled Kashmir killed 40 Indian soldiers and brought the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of war.
India has an estimated 700,000 soldiers in its part of Kashmir, fighting nearly a dozen rebel groups since 1989. In many areas, the region has the feel of an occupied country, with soldiers in full combat gear patrolling streets and frisking civilians. More than 68,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in the conflict.
Pakistan marks 'Kashmir Day' with rallies, speeches in support in disputed valley
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Pakistan marks 'Kashmir Day' with rallies, speeches in support in disputed valley
- Thousands of people take part in anti-India rallies across Pakistan as well as in the portion of Kashmir that Pakistan administers
- In southwest Pakistan, at least 16 wounded when an unknown assailant threw a hand grenade at people standing along a road for a pro-Kashmir rally
Pakistan positions itself as ‘bridge builder’ to ease Middle East tensions as PM visits Saudi Arabia
Pakistan positions itself as ‘bridge builder’ to ease Middle East tensions as PM visits Saudi Arabia
- Islamabad says it is engaging regional capitals to keep diplomatic channels open amid Iran conflict
- Foreign Office says Pakistan policy on Afghanistan unchanged amid cross-border militant attacks
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is positioning itself as a bridge builder to help ease rising tensions in the Middle East, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif traveling to Saudi Arabia for talks focused on regional peace and security, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.
Sharif left earlier in the day for what officials described as a brief visit to the Kingdom at a time when the region is facing heightened volatility after the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran. Subsequently, Tehran said it was targeting American military bases in Gulf states, prompting condemnations from these countries, which said several strikes had hit civilian infrastructure.
The spillover of the conflict in the region has complicated diplomatic efforts aimed at calming the situation, but the Foreign Office spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, said Pakistan had been in regular contact with capitals across the region since the crisis erupted and is trying to keep channels of communication open.
“And we are playing the role of a bridge builder in a sense that our principal position on issues with respect to sovereignty, international law and the UN Charter and with respect to dialogue and diplomacy is respected in all regional capitals,” Andrabi said during the weekly press briefing.
He said Prime Minister Sharif’s visit to Riyadh should be seen as part of ongoing coordination between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on regional stability.
“The Prime Minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia is part of the coordination between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on matters of regional peace and security and ending violence and hostilities,” he said.
“The Prime Minister’s visit should also be seen in the broader context of Pakistan’s efforts to advocate and facilitate an early cessation of hostilities and violence in the region, with the aim of paving the way for dialogue and diplomacy.”
Islamabad has condemned both the strikes on Iran and the retaliatory attacks launched from Iranian territory against Gulf states, urging all sides to show restraint and resolve their differences through diplomatic means.
“As you know, Pakistan had condemned the unwarranted attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Andrabi said, warning that such actions risk further destabilizing an already tense region. At the same time, he added, Pakistan had also condemned attacks carried out from Iran against Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, calling them violations of sovereignty.
He said Pakistan has remained diplomatically engaged since the crisis began. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has spoken with his counterparts from several countries in the region to discuss the evolving situation.
The prime minister also held a telephone conversation on Wednesday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, during which the two leaders discussed regional developments.
Andrabi said Pakistan’s position was firmly rooted in international law and the principle that disputes should be resolved through dialogue.
PAK-AFGHAN CLASHES
Separately, the Foreign Office said Pakistan’s policy toward Afghanistan remains unchanged despite continued tensions over cross-border militant attacks.
“There is no qualitative change in our relations, in our way of how we engage with Afghanistan,” Andrabi said.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan authorities of harboring militant groups and facilitating their cross-border attacks, an allegation denied by Kabul.
The two countries have witnessed fierce border clashes amid mounting tensions, with Pakistan saying it has targeted militant hideouts inside Afghanistan.
“We have emphatically communicated to the Afghan side and to our interlocutors that we need verifiable assurances from the Afghan side that their territory will not be used for terrorism against Pakistan,” Andrabi said.
“Since those assurances have not been received, we will continue with our existing policy with respect to that country.”
He said Pakistan reserved the right to respond to attacks originating from Afghan territory.
“We are under attack ... and in exercise of our right to self-defense, we do reserve the right to respond to these attacks.”
