Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif asked Russian President Vladimir Putin in his letter to assist in resolving the conflict with India, special aide Syed Tariq Fatemi said.
"Neighbors cannot live in a situation where war could start at any minute. We’ve sent officials to neighboring countries, including the US, the EU, and Russia, to explain that any proposal from any country, the UN, or a neutral state regarding India and Pakistan is open for discussion. We are ready to sit down with them at the negotiating table and let them solve the problem," he pointed out, speaking at the Valdai International Discussion Club.
"Yesterday, I met with Russian Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov. I gave him a letter from our prime minister to Mr. Putin. We asked <…> [him] to use his influence to make sure that India and Pakistan sit down at the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution," Fatemi noted.
He also emphasized that Pakistan awaits any initiative from Russia that would help reduce the degree of tension with India.
"We are here to see support from Russia to any initiative that would ease tensions. Pakistan and India must sit down at the negotiating table," he reiterated.
India-Pakistan relations soured after the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 25 Indian citizens and a Nepali national.
In the early hours of May 7, Indian forces began attacking terrorist bases in Pakistan.
In response, the Pakistani government launched a large-scale military operation code-named Bunyan-um Marsoos.
On May 10, New Delhi and Islamabad agreed to cease fire and to consider reducing the number of troops deployed along the border.
