MOSCOW, May 5. /TASS/. The UN Security Council should ensure the right to self-determination for the people of Kashmir to eliminate the root causes of escalating tensions in the region, Pakistani Ambassador to Moscow Muhammad Khalid Jamali said in an interview with TASS.
"I believe that the root cause of the problem in [Indian] Jammu and Kashmir is the right to self-determination for the Kashmiri people, which was promised to them by the international community through various UN Security Council resolutions. This needs to be addressed for a permanent, sustainable and durable peace," he said.
When asked whether Pakistan was preparing a formal appeal to Russia to take part in the investigation into the terrorist attack in Kashmir, the diplomat said: "We are open [to it]. We want this investigation to be conducted and this blame game to stop." "There are incidents from time to time, and without addressing the root causes, Pakistan is blamed for this," Jamali pointed out.
The ambassador recalled that in connection with the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia has also always pointed to the need to address the root causes. "Similarly, when political disputes fester for a long time, resentment arises and such incidents are likely to occur. It's always very easy to blame and make someone a scapegoat," he concluded.
New Delhi has recorded Pakistani servicemen firing across the Line of Control every night in the week since the attack in the popular tourist town of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. The latest exchange of fire was the 10th in a row. Senior Indian and Pakistani military officials held talks on April 29, with the Indian side protesting. New Delhi has warned Islamabad against unwarranted ceasefire violations by the Pakistani army along the Line of Control.
On April 22, armed individuals opened fire on tourists in the town of Pahalgam in northern India, killing 25 Indian nationals and one tourist from Nepal. According to Indian media, the attack was carried out by the Resistance Front, the sabotage wing of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba radical group (outlawed in Russia).
Following the attack, India reduced its embassy staff in Islamabad by half, declared the Pakistani diplomatic mission’s military advisors personae non gratae, and closed the key Attari checkpoint on the border with Pakistan. Additionally, Indian authorities suspended the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan and stopped issuing visas to Pakistani nationals.