Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif sought Putin’s help to ease tensions with India post Operation Sindoor

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and Russian President Vladimir Putin

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif requested Russian President Vladimir Putin’s assistance in settling the conflict with India, his special aide Syed Tariq Fatemi was quoted as saying by news agency TASS.

The message was conveyed through a letter handed over by Fatemi, special aide to Shehbaz Sharif, to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting in Moscow this week.

‘Any proposal is open for discussion’

Syed Tariq Fatemi said Islamabad is open to any diplomatic initiative aimed at easing tensions with India.

“Neighbours cannot live in a situation where war could start at any minute. We’ve sent officials to neighbouring 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 said, according to the Russian news agency TASS.

Fatemi further stated that Islamabad awaits any step from Russia that would help reduce the degree of tension with India. Pakistan and India must sit down at the negotiating table, he reiterated.

Meanwhile, the India-Pakistan conflict also featured in the telephonic conversation held between US President Donald Trump and Putin on Wednesday.

India-Pakistan tensions

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the attack, targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions.

The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10.