Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov urges India, Pak to show restraint

Islamabad: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Sunday expressed concern over the tension between Pakistan and India following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, urging the two sides to show restraint.

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephonic conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, according to a statement by the Foreign Office. Dar apprised Lavrov of recent regional developments, the statement added.

“Lavrov expressed concern over the situation and stressed the importance of diplomacy to resolve issues. He emphasised that both sides should exercise restraint and avoid escalation,” the Foreign Office said.

During the conversation, Dar rejected India’s “baseless allegations and inflammatory rhetoric” against Pakistan, the statement said.

He also condemned India’s “unilateral and illegal move to hold the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance which is a violation of its international obligations”.

The minister also conveyed Pakistan’s offer for an international, transparent and independent investigation.

Ties between India and Pakistan plummeted following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.

India, among other punitive actions, announced the suspension of the 1960 Indus accord, which governs water sharing between the two countries.

Earlier on April 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to punish the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam terror attack and their backers.

In a high-level meeting with the top defence brass on April 29, Modi asserted that the armed forces have “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response to the terror attack, according to government sources.