Washington (TDI): Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Rizwan Saeed Sheikh has called on the international community to resolve the Kashmir dispute, terming it the “core issue” of the recent complete breakdown of relations with India in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.
The April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, IIOJK, killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in one of the deadliest attacks since 2000. India has implied cross-border connections without proof, while Pakistan has rejected the allegation and urged for a neutral investigation.
Tensions have since escalated, with Pakistan reinforcing its forces as it expected a military action and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi granting “operational freedom” to his military.
“It could be a major part of President Donald Trump’s legacy to address this situation, not with a Band-Aid solution, but by addressing the core problem: the Kashmir dispute,” Pakistan’s envoy said in an interview with Fox News Digital published on Saturday. He said that this is one nuclear flashpoint.
Sheikh also urged countries around the world to help with a lasting settlement to the Kashmir problem.
He said: “In past, when the situation has been at this level or the tensions have grown, the global community has addressed the situation, but taken their attention away, even before the situation could fully diffuse.
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“This time, perhaps it would be timely in terms of the situation elsewhere on the world, with similar instances, to perhaps not afford a Band-Aid solution, but to address the broader issue.”
He said that any misadventure or miscalculation can lead to a nuclear war. That is certainly not desirable in such a densely populated region.
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“We want a peaceful neighborhood,” the envoy stressed, adding that Islamabad did not want any instability in the region.
However, he emphasized that Pakistan’s desire for peace “should not in any way be misconstrued as a sign of weakness”. “We want peace with dignity.”
