Following a bilateral meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan made a significant move by mentioning Kashmir in a joint statement and removing all references to UN Security Council resolutions and third-party action.

Instead, according to the joint statement, the two parties demanded that India and Pakistan hold bilateral talks to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir problem.

However, in the midst of escalating hostilities between the hostile South Asian countries, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has encouraged India and Pakistan to settle the Kashmir border conflict. This comes after a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan released a joint statement with the remarks following Mr. Sharif’s meeting with the crown prince on

In order to maintain peace and security in the area, “the two sides stressed the importance of dialogue between Pakistan and India to resolve the outstanding issues between the two countries, (especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute),” according to the joint statement.

The point of contention between the two neighbours, who have fought two of the area’s three wars since its independence from Britain in 1947, is the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. Partially governing but claiming full sovereignty are India and Pakistan.

Following an attack on an Indian military convoy in 2019 in India-administered Kashmir that claimed the lives of at least 40 paramilitary forces, ties between the two nations reached an all-time low.

Terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad, situated in Pakistan, took credit for the assault, leading to

Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, and Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, the prime minister of Bahrain, are met by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. (via REUTERS)

Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, and Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, the prime minister of Bahrain, are met by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. (via REUTERS)

Riyadh continues to be one of India’s primary economic partners in the Gulf, and Saudi Arabia has contributed significantly to India’s long-standing good relations with Arab nations.

After taking office as prime minister, Mr. Sharif made his first trip to Riyadh.

The cash-strapped Pakistan needs the $5 billion investment package from Saudi Arabia to shore up its current account deficit and signal to the International Monetary Fund.

Through the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), Saudi Arabia promised to invest $25 billion over the course of five years in order to draw in investments from Arab countries in the fields of energy, information technology, minerals, defence, and agriculture.

The Saudi prince made his remarks in response to a news report alleging that Delhi had carried out at least 20 extrajudicial killings in the neighbouring nation. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Sigh then told a TV channel that India “will enter Pakistan to kill” those attempting to cause unrest on the country’s soil.

“If they run away to Pakistan, we will enter Pakistan to kill them,” stated Singh.

According to Indian and Pakistani authorities quoted in the British newspaper, the Indian government has assassinated roughly 20 people in Pakistan since 2020 as part of a larger scheme to

“Such myopic and irresponsible behaviour not only undermines regional peace but also impedes the prospects of constructive engagement in the long term,” added the statement.

To prevent escalation, a US State Department spokesman stated that the US is “not going to get in the middle of this situation” and will instead allow all parties to resolve their differences through communication.