SINGAPORE (Kashmir English): General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Pakistan’s Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, stated that the Kashmir issue is the root cause of the tensions between Pakistan and India.
In his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, he asserted that the resolution of the Kashmir conflict based on the United Nations (UN) resolutions will lay a foundation for peace in South Asia.
Moreover, he raised concerns about the risk of nuclear conflict in South Asia is increasing, and discussed the need for crisis management/communication protocols and dialogue.
Referring to the most recent crisis between Pakistan and India, he continued and said, “The threshold for conflict, the threshold for war, has been dangerously lowered and poses a great risk to the 1.5 billion people living in South Asia.”
Additionally, he raised alarm over India’s attacks on civilian areas of Pakistan as well as India’s threats to revoke the Indus Waters Treaty, which he characterized as “existential threats” to Pakistan and possibly an act of war.
General Mirza declared, “Pakistan has always favored negotiated and diplomatic solutions,” and reiterated Pakistan’s position that peace with India must rest on mutual respect, sovereign equality, and dignity.
General Mirza presented eight main points involved in resolving disputes in South Asia. He explained that the Kashmir dispute lies at the very root of all of the tensions between Pakistan and India, and there will be peace in the broader region when it is resolved.
