MOSCOW, April 25. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin does not currently plan to talk with the leaders of India and Pakistan, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS.
"No, it is not being planned right now," he said when asked whether Putin is scheduled to speak with his counterparts from India and Pakistan amid the escalating tensions in the region.
Khaki-clad gunmen opened fire in the popular tourist town of Pahalgam in northern India on April 22, using assault rifles. They killed 25 Indians and one national of Nepal, wounding many others. The assailants were able to flee the scene. Indian security forces found proof that the attack was carried out by the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (banned in Russia) and aided by the Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan, the Hindustan Times reported, citing sources.
Following the attack, India reduced the staff of its embassy in Islamabad by almost a half, declared military advisors of the Pakistani embassy in India personae non gratae, and shut down the key Attari checkpoint on the border with Pakistan. The Indian authorities also suspended an agreement with Islamabad on the management of water resources and the issuance of visas to Pakistani citizens.
Pakistan’s Security Council said it was suspending all bilateral agreements with India and warned the country would treat any attempt by India to divert the water flow from the Indus River as an act of war. Additionally, Islamabad closed its airspace to India, shut down the Wagah checkpoint, and declared Indian defense, navy and aviation advisors personae non gratae. The Security Council said it has proof that India sponsors terrorist groups in Pakistan.