Kashmir fallout: Iraq calls for India-Pakistan dialogue
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Iraq’s Foreign Ministry called for restraint and dialogue between India and Pakistan as tensions escalated following a deadly attack in the disputed Kashmir region.
In a statement, the ministry warned of rising risks in South Asia, urging both governments to avoid steps that could further deepen the crisis. “Lasting peace can only be achieved through direct dialogue and diplomatic means,” the statement read.
Iraq also expressed support for regional and international efforts aimed at reducing tensions and maintaining stability.
The appeal followed a deadly assault last week in the town of Pahalgam, in the contested part of Kashmir, where unidentified gunmen killed 26 civilians. The Resistance Front (TRF), a group that emerged in the region in 2019, claimed responsibility. It was the deadliest attack on civilians in the area since 2000.
Diplomatic relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors have continued to deteriorate. Both sides have suspended visa services and shut down operations at the Wagah border crossing. Indian officials accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border militancy, a charge Islamabad rejects.
No formal mediation efforts are currently underway, though international concern is growing.
The United Nations Security Council has urged both countries to de-escalate and avoid further military or political provocation. India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their partition in 1947, two of them over Kashmir.
