Iran ramps up diplomatic efforts to ease India-Pakistan tensions

Tabnak – Enjoying friendly relations with both India and Pakistan, Iran is apparently trying to bring both sides into a compromise over Kashmir, easing the recently-erupted tensions between the two nuclear-armed South Asian nations. This is in line with Islamabad’s request for help in this regard from Tehran.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on India and Pakistan to prevent tensions and deaths of innocent people after New Delhi stripped India-administered Kashmir of special constitutional status.

In a telephone conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday, Rouhani said the Islamic Republic has always made efforts to prevent tensions and unrest in the region and believed that Muslims in the disputed Kashmir region should be able to enjoy their legal rights and live in peace.

He also called on the Indian and Pakistani governments to prevent insecurity and deaths of innocent people through exercising restraint. “The issue of Kashmir has never had a military solution and we should pursue the resolution of issues diplomatically,” Rouhani stated.

Imran Khan, for his part, said Pakistan is deeply concerned about the possible massacre of innocent people in Kashmir and the escalation of tensions in the region. He also emphasized that Iran, as an important country in the region and the Muslim world, can play a positive role in resolving the issue of Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has called on the international community, including Iran, to help find a peaceful solution to Kashmir conflict amid a fresh wave of tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad over the disputed region.

During a phone conversation on Saturday, Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Pakistani Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser exchanged views on the latest development unfolding in the disputed Himalayan region, IRNA reported.

Qaiser expressed hope that Iran would employ all its regional and international capacities to help ease tensions in Kashmir. He described the Islamic Republic as a friendly and brotherly country of Pakistan, saying Islamabad considers Tehran a key party for consultation and interaction in tough times.

Larijani, for his part, said the Kashmir issue needs to be resolved through diplomatic approaches. Stating that Iran is closely monitoring developments in Kashmir, he underlined the necessity for the resolution of the dispute based on UN resolutions.

On Saturday, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri warned that military approaches would further escalate the situation in Kashmir.

Speaking on the phone with Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Baqeri stressed the need for restraint in Kashmir.

Earlier on Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Moussavi said Tehran was “closely following up on” New Delhi’s latest decision regarding India-controlled Kashmir as well as the statements of both Indian and Pakistani officials on the developments unfolding in the disputed region.

Tensions have been running high in Kashmir since Monday, when New Delhi revoked Article 370, a constitutional provision that had come into effect in 1949 and grants special status to Kashmir, allowing it to have its own flag and constitution, among other rights.