Pakistan urges Gulf allies to help ease tensions in region

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif met on Friday with envoys from Gulf allies, seeking to defuse tensions with India following last week's deadly attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir, his office said.

- Tariq Butt | Associated Press

In separate meetings with the UAE, Saudi and Kuwait ambassadors, Shahbaz Sharif briefed them on Islamabad's stance regarding the April 22 attack in Kashmir, where 26 tourists were killed.

India has blamed Pakistan for the attack, a charge Islamabad strongly rejects.

Following "credible intelligence" from a Pakistani minister that India intended military action over Pakistan's alleged role in the Pahalgam tourist attack, Shahbaz and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar have received calls from the United States and other nations’ diplomats, according to Shahbaz's office and Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs.

The international community has encouraged both sides to exercise restraint.

Shahbaz's office stated on Friday that he had urged “brotherly countries, including Saudi Arabia, to press India for de-escalation and the defusal of tensions," reiterating Pakistan's commitment to peace and stability in South Asia.