ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week spoke to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging his administration to cooperate in investigating an Apr. 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir and to re-establish direct communications with New Delhi amid soaring bilateral tensions.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif last week said Islamabad is willing to cooperate with “any investigation which is conducted by international inspectors” of the Apr. 22 attack in Pahalgam, a popular tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir, in which 26 tourists were killed.
India has said there were Pakistani elements to the attack but Islamabad has denied any involvement. Fears of a wider conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors breaking out loom as India has vowed to punish the backers of the Kashmir attack. Pakistan, on the other hand, has vowed a “strong” response to any military strike.
Rubio spoke to PM Sharif on Wednesday, urging the need to condemn the Pahalgam attack, the US State Department said the same day.
“The Secretary urged Pakistani officials’ cooperation in investigating this unconscionable attack,” the State Department said. “He also encouraged Pakistan to work with India to de-escalate tensions, re-establish direct communications, and maintain peace and security in South Asia.”
It added that both leaders reaffirmed their continued commitment to “holding terrorists accountable for their heinous acts of violence.”
According to Sharif’s office, the Pakistani premier asked Washington to impress upon India to “act responsibly” and “dial down the rhetoric.”
“He [Sharif] categorically rejected Indian attempts to link Pakistan to the incident and pointed to his call for a transparent, credible, and neutral investigation to bring out the facts,” the PMO said.
Sharif told Rubio that India’s recent behavior is “deeply disappointing and worrisome,” saying it would only serve to distract Pakistan from its ongoing efforts to defeat militants, particularly those based in Afghanistan.
Rubio also spoke to India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Wednesday, expressing sorrow for the loss of lives in the Apr. 22 attack.
He also encouraged India to work with Pakistan to de-escalate tensions and maintain peace and security in South Asia, the State Department said.
Several countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkiye and the UK have also called upon both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and avoid a military confrontation.
US urges Pakistan to cooperate in Kashmir attack probe, re-establish direct communications with India
https://arab.news/pt5mg
US urges Pakistan to cooperate in Kashmir attack probe, re-establish direct communications with India
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls Shehbaz Sharif, urges Islamabad to de-escalate tensions with New Delhi
- Fears of war loom after Delhi accused Islamabad of being involved in Apr. 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir
Pakistan condemns Israel’s contentious move to approve land registration in West Bank
- Israel’s cabinet on Sunday voted in favor of beginning land registration process that makes it easier for settlers to buy lands in West Bank
- Pakistan’s foreign office says such measures in violation of international law, UN General Assembly and Security Council resolution
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Monday condemned the Israeli cabinet’s contentious decision to approve registration of large areas of land in the West Bank as “state property,” saying the move was in violation of international law and the United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Members of the Israeli cabinet on Sunday voted in favor of beginning a process of land registration in the West Bank for the first time since 1967. The move is being seen by many, including the Palestinian Authority (PA), as measures to tighten Israel’s control over the West Bank area by making it easier for Jewish settlers to buy land.
The ruling Israeli coalition includes many pro-settler members who want Israel to annex the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 Middle East war to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties. The West Bank is among the territories that Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the PA.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the latest attempt by the Israeli occupying power to convert areas of the Occupied West Bank into so-called state property, and to expand illegal settlement activities,” Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson said such actions are “in clear violation” of international law, UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. It stressed that such measures must be rejected by the international community.
“Pakistan calls on the international community to take concrete measures to end Israeli impunity, and ensure respect for international law,” the statement said.
The foreign office reiterated its support for the people of Palestine in securing their right to self-determination, and for an independent, Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
The PA presidency has rejected the cabinet’s decision, saying it constitutes “a de-facto annexation of occupied Palestinian territory and a declaration of the commencement of annexation plans aimed at entrenching the occupation through illegal settlement activity.”
The United Nations’ highest court said in a non-binding advisory opinion in 2024 that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there is illegal and should be ended as soon as possible. Israel disputes this view.
