Diplomatic efforts to encourage India-Pakistan dialogue in full swing

Diplomatic efforts are underway to encourage India-Pakistan dialogue amid military tensions between the two South Asian nations.

Top diplomats from a number of countries, including Iran, Italy, and Saudi Arabia, discussed the regional standoff with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was in New Delhi for consultations with senior Indian officials, held a telephone conversation on Thursday afternoon with Dar “regarding the latest security developments in South Asia following the recent escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on its X social media page.

Apart from his interaction with Jaishankar, Araghchi held a 90-minute meeting with Indian national security adviser Ajit Kumar Doval.

In the Araghchi-Doval meeting, “both sides emphasised the necessity of safeguarding peace and stability in the South Asian region and underscored the importance of adopting appropriate measures to reduce tensions in the region,” according to an Iranian statement.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, who is also the foreign minister, also discussed the regional flare-up in phone conversations with Dar and Jaishankar.

The Indian foreign minister “shared perspectives on firmly countering terrorism” in a meeting with visiting Saudi Arabian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al Jubeir.

The Pakistani media reported that the Saudi minister will travel to Islamabad on Friday.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the India-Pakistan military escalation with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Indian foreign minister.

“The secretary emphasised the need for immediate de-escalation. He expressed US support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications,” US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said of Rubio’s conversation with Shehbaz.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated this week following India’s May 7 airstrikes under what it dubbed “Operation Sindoor”, targeting locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

India said its pre-dawn strikes were in response to a deadly April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir. India reportedly blamed Pakistan, citing alleged cross-border links, a claim Pakistan has denied.

Thursday saw further cross-border missile and drone exchanges, according to Indian and Pakistani officials.

- Bernama

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