In UK, Shehbaz Sharif Mentions Kashmir and Gaza While Urging Peace With India.
London: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has invoked both the Kashmir dispute and the Gaza conflict in the same address, while stressing that peace with India cannot come without dialogue on core issues. Speaking to the Pakistani diaspora in London, Sharif said New Delhi must take the initiative to restore stability in South Asia.
“India and Pakistan are neighbours and we must learn to live together. But ties cannot be normalised unless the Kashmir issue is resolved. The blood of the Kashmiris will not go in vain,” he remarked. He argued that believing relations could move forward without addressing Kashmir was “living in a fool’s paradise,” adding that the wars fought between the two countries had drained resources that should have been used for development.
Sharif accused India of adopting a combative stance but said Pakistan’s preference was to “live by loving and respecting each other.” Shifting focus, he highlighted the humanitarian toll of the Gaza war, claiming over 64,000 deaths and widespread shortages of food and essentials.
Tense Bilateral Climate
The remarks come amid sharp deterioration in India–Pakistan ties following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor in May, which destroyed militant camps of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba and hit Pakistani military bases. The brief four-day conflict ended with a ceasefire on May 10.
India has since suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, making clear that “terror and talks cannot go together” until Islamabad acts decisively against cross-border terrorism. Pakistan has requested reinstatement of the pact, but India has not relented.
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