Supporters of Muttahida Qabail Federation party burn a rendition of the Indian flag and poster with the picture of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a demonstration in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)
Farmers participate in a rally against the suspension of a water-sharing treaty by India, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Pakistan’s Rangers soldiers, in black, and Indian Border Security Forces soldiers, lower their flags during a daily closing ceremony at the Wagah, a joint post on the Pakistan and India border, near Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Iran’s top diplomat is in Pakistan to mediate in escalation with India over deadly Kashmir attack
ISLAMABAD (AP) 鈥 Iran鈥檚 foreign minister was in Pakistan on Monday to try and mediate in the escalation between Islamabad and New Delhi after last month鈥檚 deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir.
Supporters of Muttahida Qabail Federation party burn a rendition of the Indian flag and poster with the picture of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a demonstration in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)
By Munirb Ahmed And Muhammad Yousaf The Associated Press
ISLAMABAD (AP) 鈥 Iran鈥檚 foreign minister was in Pakistan on Monday to try and mediate in the escalation between Islamabad and New Delhi after last month鈥檚 deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir.
The visit by Abbas Araghchi was the first by a foreign dignitary since tensions flared in the wake of a deadly attack on tourists in the disputed Kashmir region, Pakistan鈥檚 Foreign Ministry said. It comes just days after Tehran offered to help ease tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
Araghchi was welcomed by senior Pakistani officials after landing at an airport near Islamabad. He is to meet his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, as well as President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the ministry said. It gave no further details.
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Pakistan鈥檚 armed forces have been on high alert since last week, after Cabinet minister Attaullah Tarar said Islamabad had credible intelligence that India could attack Pakistan in response to the April 22 assault in the resort town of Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists 鈥 mostly Hindus 鈥 in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Pakistan has denied any role in the attack, and offered to have a credible international probe. New Delhi has so far not accepted the offer and several world leaders, including officials from the United States, have urged both sides to exercise restraint and avoid further escalation.
Speaking at a seminar in Islamabad, Pakistan’s foreign minister said his country welcomes mediation to defuse tensions with India. Since last week, Dar said he’d spoken to over a dozen foreign dignitaries, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who urged for restraint.
鈥淲e will not be the first to take any escalatory step,鈥 Dar said but added that he had warned the international community that should there be 鈥渁ny act of aggression by India, Pakistan will resolutely defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.鈥
He accused the Indian Air Force of attempting to breach Pakistani airspace last Tuesday night. Pakistan, Dar said, scrambled its own aircraft and forced Indian jets to turn back. There was no immediate comment from India on Dar’s statement.
between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety. The two countries have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region and their ties have been shaped by conflict, aggressive diplomacy and mostly due to their competing claims over Kashmir.
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The latest flare-up led the , as well as the shuttering of airspace.
On Monday, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar led a group of journalists to the mountain village of Bella Noor Shah, near Muzaffarabad 鈥 the main city in the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir 鈥 where, he said, New Delhi had falsely claimed the presence of a militant training camp.
Residents of the village told reporters they had never seen any such camp in the area.
鈥淚t is clear there is no truth to the Indian claim,鈥 Tarar said.
