G7 nations urge India and Pakistan to have direct dialogue

WASHINGTON: The Group of Seven (G7) major countries urged maximum restraint from both India and Pakistan on Friday and called on them to engage in direct dialogue amid rising hostilities between the two nuclear-armed Asian neighbours.

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World powers have raised the alarm over the latest escalation in the decades-old India-Pakistan rivalry. India hit Pakistan with air strikes and missiles on Wednesday and since then both countries have been clashing daily. Dozens have been killed.

Among the G7 powers, the US has held regular talks with both India and Pakistan in recent days and urged them to de-escalate, but Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday a war between the two countries would be “none of our business.”

In recent years, India has been seen as an important partner by Western powers as a counter-balance to China’s rising influence. Pakistan is a US ally although its importance has diminished since Washington’s 2021 withdrawal from neighbouring Afghanistan.

In a statement released by Canada, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US, Britain and the European Union said they “strongly condemn” an April 22 attack in which 26 people were killed in India-occupied Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan, which denied the accusations and called for a neutral probe.

“We call for immediate de-escalation and encourage both countries to engage in direct dialogue towards a peaceful outcome,” the G7 statement said.

The Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled only in part by both Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan. It has been the site of wars, insurgency and diplomatic stand-offs over the decades.

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Pakistan said this week that New Delhi and Islamabad have had contacts at the level of their respective national security councils.