Ambassador of Pakistan to Moscow Muhammad Khalid Jamali has urged the United Nations Security Council to ensure the right to self-determination for the people of Kashmir to eliminate the root causes of escalating tensions in the region.
“I believe that the root cause of the problem in [Indian] Jammu and Kashmir is the right to self-determination for the Kashmiri people, which was promised to them by the international community through various UN Security Council resolutions. This needs to be addressed for a permanent, sustainable and durable peace,” he said in an interview with TASS, the Russian state-owned news agency, published on Monday.
Asked whether Pakistan was approaching Russia to take part in the investigation into the attack in Pahalgam, the ambassador said, “We are open [to it]. We want this investigation to be conducted and this blame game to stop.”
“There are incidents from time to time, and without addressing the root causes, Pakistan is blamed for this,” Jamali pointed out. He recalled that in connection with the Ukraine conflict, Russia has also always pointed to the need to address the root causes.
He said that when political disputes continue for a long time, resentment arises and such incidents are likely to occur. It’s always very easy to blame and make someone a scapegoat,” he commented.
He told the interviewer that Islamabad was in constant contact with Moscow on the issue of settlement between Pakistan and India.
“We are already in touch with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since the last meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Astana last year, we have had many exchanges of visits. There is no need to go into details, but in the last month alone, we have had at least four high-level [visits], from Russia to Pakistan and from Pakistan to Russia, respectively,” he said.
The ambassador pointed out that consultations have not been interrupted. “And we consider Russia an important player in international politics. We have very good relations with Russia at the moment, and we continue to consult on many issues,” the diplomat added.
To a question, the ambassador said that Russia provided sufficient security to Pakistan’s embassy in Moscow.
“I think the Russian people and Russia are very hospitable. And we are very satisfied with the arrangements that we have. According to the Vienna Convention, the Russian side provides us with sufficient security,” he added.
