Kashmir | Pakistani PM says he’s willing to talk but warns India

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan offered yesterday to hold talks with India, even as he warned New Delhi to refrain from launching any attacks on his country following last week’s suicide bombing in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Khan said he hoped “better sense” would prevail after the attack that killed at least 40 Indian troops.

However, should there be an attack from India, “Pakistan will not merely think of retaliation, but rather, we will retaliate,” Khan said in a televised speech.

New Delhi has blamed Islamabad and threatened a “jaw-breaking response” for last week’s bombing in which a militant rammed an explosive-laden van into a paramilitary bus in Kashmir. It was the worst attack against Indian government forces in Kashmir’s history.

Tensions between Pakistan and India soared following the attack. Islamabad condemned it while also cautioning India against linking Pakistan to the bombing without an investigation. On Monday, four Indian soldiers, three suspected militants, a police official and a civilian were killed as Indian soldiers searched for militants.

“I have an offer for the Indian government, if you have any actionable evidence, share it with us and we will take action,” Khan said. “We are ready to cooperate with India in the investigations.”

“I hope better sense will prevail,” Khan added.

His remarks were in response to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that his government forces have been “given total freedom” to deal with the militants in Kashmir.

India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety. They have fought two of their three wars over it.

Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, demanding Indian-controlled Kashmir be united either under Pakistani rule or established as an independent country.

Earlier yesterday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it recalled its ambassador from India and appealed for U.N. help to de-escalate and defuse tensions with New Delhi after the Kashmir attack.

According to the statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi sent a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres alleging that “for domestic political reasons, India has deliberately ratcheted up its hostile rhetoric against Pakistan and created a tense environment.”

Also, Pakistani Ambassador Suhail Mahmood was asked to return home from India, after New Delhi recalled its own envoy from Islamabad.

“It is with a sense of urgency that I draw your attention to the deteriorating security situation in our region resulting from the threat of use of force against Pakistan by India,” Qureshi said in his letter.

There were expectations that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who concluded a two-day visit to Pakistan on Monday and travelled on to India, could encourage the two South Asian neighbors to try to resolve their issues through talks.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it had no comment on Pakistan’s letter to the U.N. AP