Pakistan PM makes peace offer to India during Iran visit

Shehbaz Sharif thanked the Iranian president for Tehran's support in its conflict with India earlier this month, the deadliest between them in decades  

News Desk - The Cradle  

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made a peace offer to India during a visit to Tehran on 26 May, saying Islamabad was ready to hold talks on water sharing, countering terrorism, and the status of the disputed Kashmir region.

Earlier this month, India and Pakistan carried out missile and drone attacks against one another, killing 70 people on both sides, in the worst conflict between the two nuclear-armed rivals in decades.

India initiated the conflict after a deadly attack in the Kashmir region killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindus. New Delhi accused Islamabad of sponsoring the attack.

“We wanted peace, we want peace, and we will work for peace in the region through talks, on the table, and resolve our outstanding issues,” Sharif said in a joint press conference with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Sharif called for a plebiscite to determine the future of the mostly Muslim region of Kashmir.

“We are ready to talk for the sake of peace on water issues with our neighbor, we are ready to talk to promote trade and also counter-terrorism if they are serious, but if they choose to remain the aggressor, then we shall defend our country and territory,” Sharif said.

The Iranian president welcomed Pakistan’s proposal to end the conflict with India through dialogue.

“Undoubtedly, settling differences through dialogue and through a peaceful manner is the precondition for sustainable peace and development at the national, regional, and international levels,” Pezeshkian said.

“We believe that in the region, sustaining the sustainable security and trying to create friendly relations with our neighboring countries is among the common policies of Iran and Pakistan.”

In an interview with Iranian state media IRNA shortly before arriving in Tehran, Sharif thanked Iran for its support. “The principal objective of my visit is to thank Iran for supporting and standing by us during our conflict with India,” he stated.

The Pakistani prime minister also endorsed establishing closer economic relations with Iran, which have been hindered in the past by economic sanctions imposed on Tehran by the US.

“I strongly believe that the economic destiny of both Iran and Pakistan are linked. We have a border of about 900 kilometers. I personally believe that strong economic linkage between Pakistan’s Balochistan and Iran’s Sistan-and-Baluchestan can be good for the entire region,” he stated.

Sharif arrived in Iran Monday after a visit to Turkiye as part of a regional diplomacy tour to nations that were either supportive of Islamabad during the latest crisis with India or that helped mediate the conflict. After Iran, he will visit Tajikistan and Azerbaijan.