Will Saudi step in to resolve Kashmir issue? Crown Prince holds meeting with Pak Prime Minister, issues statement

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has expressed the need for a healthy dialogue between India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue. This was mentioned in the joint statement released after Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed bin Salman held an official meeting at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah on April 7. The statement clarified that the Kashmir issue was also discussed during the meeting.

The joint statement reads, "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) to ensure peace and stability in the region."

During the meeting, the two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest, including the worrying situation in Gaza.

Saudi Crown Prince and Pakistan PM called for international efforts to halt Israeli military operations in Gaza, mitigate humanitarian impact and underscored the importance for the international community to pressurise Israel to cease hostilities, adhere to international law, and facilitate unhindered humanitarian aid access to Gaza, according to the joint statement.

Meanwhile, India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir "was, is and will always" remain an integral part of the country. Ministry of External Affairs has said India wants to have normal relations with all neighbouring nations, including Pakistan in an environment "free of terror, hostility and hostility."