Beijing has urged the South Asian neighbors to exercise restraint and work towards de-escalation
China has called for an impartial investigation into the recent Kashmir terrorist attack that claimed 26 lives and has urged India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and work towards de-escalation.
During a phone call on Sunday with his Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized that conflict would not serve the interests of India or Pakistan, and would not help regional peace and stability.
Wang also reiterated China’s support for Pakistan’s efforts to combat terrorism, stating that it was the collective responsibility of all nations to address the issue.
Iran has also stepped forward with an offer to mediate between the two South Asian countries. Citing centuries-old civilizational ties, Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday described both India and Pakistan as “brotherly neighbors” and said Tehran is ready to help defuse tensions in the region.
Saudi Arabia, which was hosting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the Kashmir attack took place last Tuesday, has also sought to de-escalate the situation. According to the Saudi Foreign Ministry, Prince Faisal bin Farhan held separate phone conversations on Friday with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistani Foreign Minister Dar.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated after last week’s attack, straining their already fragile relations, which have periodically witnessed hostilities since the 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent on religious grounds.
In response to the latest Kashmir attack, India took swift action, expelling Pakistani diplomats and closing its land border. India also suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, citing that it would remain ‘in abeyance” until Pakistan renounced its support for cross-border terrorism.
Pakistan retaliated by suspending key bilateral agreements and closing off its air space to carriers owned or operated by Indian companies.
As a part of the tit-for-tat measures in the wake of the attack, visitors from both countries have been given a short deadline to return to their respective homelands by Monday, with exceptions only for Pakistani Hindus who are in India on long-term visas.
On Sunday, Indian Prime Minister Modi vowed to take severe action against those responsible for the Kashmir attack, stating that the “perpetrators and conspirators” would face the “harshest response.”
On Saturday, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif told RT in an interview, “The main target or main… victim of terrorism in this region is Pakistan. And we’ve been blamed by India for something with which we have nothing to do.”
