Pakistan seeks Russia’s mediation in de-escalating tensions with India after Pahalgam attack

Pakistan’s envoy in Moscow has asked Russia for assistance in de-escalating the tension with New Delhi that erupted following the April 22 terrorist assault in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people.

In an interview to be published later by the TASS news agency, Ambassador Mohammad Khalid Jamali stated that Russia has a privileged strategic partnership with India and very good relations with Pakistan and that it could use its good offices to mediate, as it did in Tashkent in 1966, when the former Soviet premier helped to end the armed conflict.

Meanwhile, during a phone call with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged the two sides to de-escalate following the Pahalgam attack in accordance with the 1972 Simla Accord and the 1999 Lahore Declaration, which allow for bilateral resolution of issues without the need for third-party mediation.

Ties between India and Pakistan deteriorated following the April 22 Pahalgam terror assault in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people, primarily tourists, and was the worst attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.