‘Dialogue Important To Resolve Pakistan-India Tensions’: Saudi Crown Prince MBS Tells Pak PM Shehbaz

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday told Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that dialogue was needed to resolve “heightened friction” between Pakistan and India during a meeting in Riyadh, news agency Reuters reported.

The comments came during Shehbaz Sharif’s first overseas visit since being chosen to lead the country following the controversial February elections.

“The two sides stressed the importance of dialogue between Pakistan and India to resolve the outstanding issues between the two countries, especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute to ensure peace and stability in the region,” a joint statement released by Pakistan’s foreign office and the Saudi government, accessed by Reuters, said.

Tensions between both countries remain high as Pakistan continues to support terrorism through its deep state and uses terror as part of its statecraft to create instability in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in other parts of the subcontinent.

India has maintained that it will not compromise on issues like terrorism and has criticised Islamabad’s objection to removal of Article 370 which granted special status to erstwhile states of Jammu and Kashmir, while accusing it of backing and protecting terrorists and terror groups who have threatened India’s security.

“Relations are minimal because we put terrorism at the centre of the ties, because the Pakistanis reacted to Article 370,” external affairs minister S Jaishankar said last month at the CNN-News18’s Rising Bharat Summit 2024.

India also issued a stern warning to those who planned to use terrorism to create instability in the border areas.

“If he [terrorist] flees to Pakistan, we will follow him and take him down on Pakistani soil. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken the truth…India has the capability and Pakistan has also started understanding that,” defence minister Rajnath Singh said while speaking to News18 in an exclusive interview last week.

Pakistan earlier alleged that the Indian government had killed about 20 people in Pakistan since 2020 as part of a broader plan to eliminate militants residing on foreign soil. India said the reports were ‘false and anti-India propaganda’.

Sharif and bin Salman had also discussed expediting a planned $5 billion investment package, which cash-strapped Pakistan desperately needs to shore up its current account deficit and signal to the International Monetary Fund that it can continue to meet requirements for foreign financing that has been a key demand in previous bailout packages.