Russia asks Pakistan to bilaterally resolve disputed issue with India
islamabad — Russia on Wednesday asked Pakistan to bilaterally resolve its dispute with India over Kashmir.
This message was given to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi when he telephoned his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to apprise him of heightened tensions between Pakistan and India after the latter revoked autonomous status of the disputed territory through a presidential order, the Dawn newspaper reported.
“The situation in South Asia was discussed amid the worsening relations between Pakistan and India after the decision made by New Delhi to change the legal status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“The Russian side emphasised the need for de-escalation of tension, and that there is no alternative to resolve differences between Pakistan and India, except bilaterally through political and diplomatic means. Representatives of Russia to the UN adhere to this consistent position,” the statement said.
Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council. Although there has lately been improvement in relations between Moscow and Islamabad because of regional developments, Russia still remains a strong Indian ally and had supported Indian position after it annexed Occupied Kashmir last week. The Foreign Office said Qureshi told Lavrov that “Indian actions entailed grave risks for peace and security.” The foreign minister alerted Lavrov about the possibility of a ‘false flag’ operation by India in disputed region for implicating Pakistan. Such an incident, if it happened, would “further endanger peace and security in the region”, Qureshi warned.
Indian Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia was summoned to the Foreign Office to receive a protest over a ceasefire violation incident at the Line of Control (LoC) on August 13 in which a civilian was martyred. —
There is no alternative to resolve differences between Pakistan and India except bilaterally through political and diplomatic means. Russian Foreign Ministry