PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif Friday urged brotherly countries, including Saudi Arabia, to impress upon India to de-escalate and defuse tensions heightened after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. Sharif separately met Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliky, UAE Ambassador Hamad Obaid Al-Zaabi and Kuwait Ambassador Nasser Abdulrahman Jasser in Islamabad when the Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire for peace and stability in South Asia, state-run media said here.

 

The series of meetings with brotherly countries took place amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan after terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. The term brotherly countries is frequently used for Muslim countries, such as Saudi Arabia, UAE and Turkiye, with which Pakistan is having good credentials. Radio Pakistan reported that while talking with Ambassador Nawaf, “The Prime Minister outrightly rejected baseless Indian accusations linking Pakistan to the Pahalgam incident without any evidence and reiterated his call for a transparent and neutral international investigation into the incident.” While sharing Pakistan’s perspective on recent developments in South Asia after the Pahalgam incident, Shehbaz Sharif said, “Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”.

 

He also highlighted the government’s complete focus on consolidating the hard-earned economic gains of the past 15 months, with the support of friendly countries, including Saudi Arabia. He added that it is inconceivable for Pakistan to act in an irresponsible manner to jeopardise its achievements and derail the country from the path of economic progress. In another meeting, Sharif thanked the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador Hamad Obaid Al-Zaabi for unwavering support to Pakistan.

 

The Prime Minister said Pakistan has nothing to do with this and emphasised that he has offered to have a credible, transparent and neutral international investigation into the incident, the report said. State-run news agency Associated Press of Pakistan reported that Sharif told the Kuwaiti Ambassador Nasser Abdulrahman Jasser that Pakistan was confident of its stance and had offered to the international community to conduct a credible, transparent and neutral investigation into the incident. All three ambassadors said their respective countries would work closely with Pakistan for maintaining regional peace and security. On Thursday, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong met Prime Minister Sharif here and exchanged views on the India-Pakistan tensions as Beijing kept abreast with the evolving situation.