Pakistan is prepared to address three key issues in any potential negotiations with India, including the long-standing Kashmir dispute, cross-border terrorism, and the joint use of the waters of the Indus River. This was stated by Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif in an interview with Geo News.
“In our relations with India, there are three core issues: Kashmir, terrorism, and water. These have persisted for the past 76 years. Pakistan is one of the biggest victims of terrorism, and this issue must be resolved, just as the Kashmir dispute must be addressed — a matter that has led to three wars between our countries,” said Asif. “The Kashmir issue must be part of the agenda in any future Pakistan-India talks.”
According to the minister, the long-standing dispute over water use from the Indus River had been resolved through the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, which, he stressed, cannot be unilaterally revoked by New Delhi.
“The ceasefire agreement reached on May 10 with India marked a diplomatic victory for us, achieved through Pakistan’s restraint and demonstration of military capability during the recent conflict,” the defence chief added.
Tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors escalated following a deadly terrorist attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, located in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 25 Indian citizens and one Nepalese national. India has accused the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (banned in Russia) and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of orchestrating the attack.
In response, both sides imposed reciprocal restrictions, suspended bilateral agreements, and closed their airspace to each other’s aircraft. In the early hours of May 7, Indian armed forces launched “Operation Sindur,” targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. A ceasefire was agreed upon on May 10; however, within hours, drone sightings and air defense activity were reported in several areas of Jammu and Kashmir and in the Punjab region.
On May 12, the Hindustan Times, citing official sources, reported that India would limit future engagements with Pakistan to military-level communications, ruling out political dialogue for the time being.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Based on materials from TASS