China Offers Mediation Amid India-Pakistan Tensions Over Kashmir Attack

By Staff, Agencies

China has called for an impartial investigation into the recent Kashmir terrorist attack that killed 26 people and urged India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and work towards de-escalation.

During a phone call on Sunday with Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized that conflict between the two nations would not benefit their interests or regional peace and stability.

Wang reaffirmed China's support for Pakistan’s anti-terrorism efforts, emphasizing the collective responsibility of all nations to tackle terrorism.

Iran has also offered to mediate between India and Pakistan. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi highlighted the centuries-old civilizational ties between the two South Asian neighbors and expressed Tehran’s readiness to help defuse regional tensions.

Saudi Arabia, hosting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Kashmir attack last Tuesday, has also called for de-escalation.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held separate phone conversations with both Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistani Foreign Minister Dar on Friday, urging calm.

Tensions have intensified between India and Pakistan after the Kashmir attack, further straining their already fragile relations, which have experienced sporadic hostilities since the 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent on religious grounds.

In response to the attack, India expelled Pakistani diplomats, closed its land border, and suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, indicating it would remain “in abeyance” until Pakistan renounced its support for cross-border terrorism.

Pakistan retaliated by suspending key bilateral agreements and closing its airspace to Indian carriers. Both countries have given visitors from the other nation a short deadline to return home by Monday, with exceptions only for Pakistani Hindus in India on long-term visas.

On Sunday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to take severe action against those responsible for the Kashmir attack, warning that the “perpetrators and conspirators” would face the “harshest response.”

On Saturday, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said, “The main target or main victim of terrorism in this region is Pakistan. And we’ve been blamed by India for something with which we have nothing to do.”