‘We asked him to use his influence’: Pakistan seeks Putin's help to solve ongoing conflict with India - Report

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reportedly requested Russian President Vladimir Putin to resolve its ongoing conflict with India, Russia's news agency TASS said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Valdai International Discussion Club, Syed Tariq Fatemi, special assistant to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said he had delivered a letter from the Pakistani PM to President Putin via Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

“Yesterday, I met with Russian Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov. I gave him a letter from our prime minister to Mr. Putin. We asked him to use his influence to make sure that India and Pakistan sit down at the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution,” he said.

Fatemi said that Pakistan is ready to sit down with the UN or any other country, along with India, to find a solution to the ongoing issues.

“Neighbours cannot live in a situation where war could start at any minute. We’ve sent officials to neighbouring countries, including the US, the EU, and Russia, to explain that any proposal from any country, the UN, or a neutral state regarding India and Pakistan is open for discussion. We are ready to sit down with them at the negotiating table and let them solve the problem,” special aide Syed Tariq Fatemi was quoted as saying.

The diplomat further said that Pakistan is awaiting Russia's initiative to make India and Pakistan sit down for negotiations.

“We are here to see support from Russia to any initiative that would ease tensions. Pakistan and India must sit down at the negotiating table.”

Pakistan requested Donald Trump for negotiations too

Pakistan has also been approaching the US and its President Donald Trump to try achieve peace. Addressing an event at the US Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Trump for his role in helping de-escalate the situation with India and urged Washington to facilitate a comprehensive dialogue between the two nuclear neighbours.

His statement comes days after former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari made similar comments.

“In 10 different occasions, he has taken credit for facilitating the ceasefire between India and Pakistan -- and rightly so. He deserves that credit because it was his efforts that helped make the ceasefire possible. So, if the US is willing to help Pakistan in maintaining this ceasefire, it is reasonable to expect that an American role in arranging a comprehensive dialogue would also be beneficial for us,” Bhutto said.

India has however denied any role of US participating in the ceasefire talks.

India-Pakistan tensions

Tensions between India and Pakistan started on 22 April when terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in Pahalgam. India pointed out at cross-border terrorism, saying that the terrorists were Pakistan-based, with Islamabad denying all accusations.

Following the attack, India initially took multiple diplomatic decisions against Pakistan, including banning visas, putting the crucial Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and closing its airspace for Pakistani airlines and aircraft. Pakistan responded with similar actions.

In response to the Pahalgam terror attack, India also launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of 7 May, destroying multiple terror camps along the border.

The situation quickly turned more severe, with the Pakistani Army attempting to launch an attack on India. In response, India destroyed multiple Pakistani airbases.

The conflict went on for four straight nights, after which India and Pakistan said they have reached a military understanding to stop the cross-border firings.

However, India has not resumed the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, a crucial agreement for Islamabad as diplomatic tensions still continue.