Pakistan gets Malaysia's backing amid tensions with India, expresses concern over New Delhi's 'provocative behaviour'

File photo: Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim with Pak counterpart Shehbaz Sharif

Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has expressed sympathies with Pakistan over the "difficult circumstances" it is facing amid escalating tensions with India. The remarks come days after terrorists, backed by Islamabad, carried out the dastardly attack in Jammu & Kashmir's Pahalgam, killing 26 civilians, mostly tourists.

In a telephonic call with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Ibrahim said that Malaysia supports an independent and transparent investigation into the deadly attack.

“I expressed my full understanding of the difficult circumstances Pakistan is facing and conveyed Malaysia’s hope that the situation will de-escalate swiftly. I strongly condemned any form of violence and affirmed Malaysia’s support for an independent and transparent investigation to identify those responsible,” he said in a post on X.

He also referred to Jammu and Kashmir as 'Indian-administered Kashmir'—a term that earlier drew criticism from the Malaysian Indian People's Party (MIPP), a nationalist ethnic Indian political group in Malaysia.

"Malaysia remains open to playing a constructive role, should the need arise. We believe our close ties with both Pakistan and India place us in a position to support efforts towards regional peace and stability," he added, in an attempt to balance his statement to show neutrality.

Malaysia, a Muslim-majority nation, has time and again made controversial statements on Jammu & Kashmir, often inviting strong reaction from New Delhi. Ties between India and Malaysia soured in 2019 when the latter criticised New Delhi for scrapping Article 370 to end the special status of the region.

Meanwhile, Sharif “categorically” rejected any effort to connect his country to the Pahalgam terror attack. According to a report in Radio Pakistan, Sharif spoke about Pakistan’s concerns over the prevailing tensions in South Asia.

He also expressed concerns over India’s "provocative behavior" in the aftermath of Pahalgam incident.

PM Modi and other Union ministers have vowed the strongest possible retaliation to the Pahalgam attack. The Prime Minister said that India will pursue the attackers to "the ends of the earth".

Ties between India and Pakistan touched a new low after the Pahalgam terror attack last month, which left 26 civilians dead. The Resistance Force (TRF), a proxy of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.