International Relations

Pakistan, Chinese ministers discuss Pulwama attack over phone

FILE PHOTO.

Srinagar: The State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China held a phone conversation with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to exchange views on the February 14 attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, IANS reported.

Qureshi informed Wang about Pakistan’s stance on the attack and measures to deal with it, reaffirming the country’s sincerity and resolution to communicate with India and find out the truth of the incident, Xinhua news agency reported.

As per the report, Qureshi said that Pakistan’s position on maintaining regional peace and fighting terrorism will remain unchanged and it is willing to join hands with other countries to cooperate in this area.

In the phone conversation, Wang thanked Qureshi for his briefing on the issue, the report stated.

According to the report, he said China supports Pakistan and India to resolve the issue through dialogue as soon as possible and avoid an escalation of the situation. Wang urged for both sides to collaborate on fighting terrorism and jointly safeguard the security and stability of South Asia, as per the report.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday told his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that he stood by his words of immediately acting if India provides Pakistan with “actionable intelligence” regarding the February 14 attack.

Fresh escalations of tensions occurred between India and Pakistan following the February 14 attack which was claimed by Jaish-e-Mohammad militant outfit.

Modi blamed Pakistan for the Pulwama attack and said that the country has become ‘‘synonym for terrorism’.

Following the attack, Pakistan called back their High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood for ‘consultations’. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said he had written a letter to the United Nations secretary general, asking him to play his role for the “de-escalation” of current tensions.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, in response to Modi’s comments, said that they would retaliate if India would start a war.

The attack led to Kashmiris being harassed and abused across the country, prompting Modi to say that ‘our fight is for Kashmir, not against Kashmiris’.

National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah in a series of tweets, while thanking Modi, said that the forces who are harassing Kashmiris would stop now.

(With inputs from IANS)

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