Saudi echoes India's stand on Kashmir, stresses on Indo-Pak dialogue to solve 'outstanding issues'

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday echoed India’s stand on Kashmir in a joint statement with visiting Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif.

MBS, as the Saudi Crown Prince and the kingdom’s de-facto ruler is widely known as, called for a dialogue between India and Pakistan over Kashmir and other outstanding issues between the two countries.

Sharif is on his maiden foreign visit to Saudi Arabia during his second term as the PM of Pakistan. The visit comes as Pakistan faces a slew of economic and security crisis.

During their meeting, Sharif and MBS also discussed financial aid for cash-strapped Pakistan. They also discussed regional and global developments, including the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.

More from World

This Week in Explainers: How recovering from Gen-Z protests is a Himalayan task for Nepal Zohran Mamdani says he would arrest Netanyahu if he is elected as NYC mayor, calls Israeli PM 'war criminal'

‘India-Pakistan dialogue important to resolve outstanding issues’

In his meeting with Sharif, MBS stressed on the importance of bilateral dialogue to resolve the Kashmir dispute and other issues between India and Pakistan.

The Saudi leader’s stand echoed India’s position on the issue. New Delhi has long held that all issues between India and Pakistan are bilateral in nature and there is no place for a third country’s or group’s intervention.

“The two sides stressed the importance of dialogue between Pakistan and India to resolve the outstanding issues between the two countries, especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute to ensure peace and stability in the region,” said a joint statement released after Sharif’s meeting with MBS.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

‘The cries of this widow will echo’: In first public remarks, Erika Kirk warns Charlie’s killers they’ve ‘unleashed a fire’

Trump urges Nato to back sanctions on Russia, calls for 50–100% tariffs on China

The India-Pakistan relationship has been tense since 1947 because of Pakistan-based terrorism directed at India and the country’s position on Jammu and Kashmir. The two countries have fought wars in 1947-48, 1965, 1971, and 1999. Pakistan has also fuelled terrorism in Kashmir and terrorist groups based in Pakistan or getting support from there have carried out attacks in India outside of Kashmir as well, such as the Parliament attack of 2001 in Delhi and the Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008.

In recent years, the Narendra Modi government has maintained that talks and terrorism cannot go along together. In 2019, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that talks with Pakistan will now only be held on the part of Jammu and Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan.

“Now, if talks are held, they will only be held on the issue of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. There will be no talks on any other issue…What do they have to talk about? What is the topic? Why should there be talks? There will be a dialogue with Pakistan only after it ends support for terrorism. If Pakistan doesn’t do this, there is no reason for holding the talks,” said Singh at the time.

MBS and Sharif discuss $5 billion investment package

During their meeting, MBS and Sharif also discussed investments in Pakistan to the tune of $5 billion that Saudi Arabia has pledged.

The cash-strapped Pakistan desperately needs the package to relieve pressure on its national finances and to also strengthen its position to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from which it is seeking separate bailouts.

“Emphasis was placed on the kingdom’s supportive role in Pakistan’s economy and the mutual desire to strengthen trade and investment ties. Both parties affirmed their commitment to expediting the first wave of [an] investment package worth $5bn which was discussed previously,” said the Saudi-Pakistan joint statement.