Saudi Arabia echoes India’s stand on Kashmir with Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi de-facto ruler Prince Mohammed bin Salman held an official meeting recently at Al-Safa Palace in Mecca and underlined the importance of dialogue between Pakistan and India to resolve their “outstanding issues”, with a particular emphasis on the Kashmir matter.In a joint statement, which was issued after the meeting between Shehbaz Sharif and Prince Mohammed bin Salman on April 7, both also stressed fortifying the fraternal relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and exploring avenues for enhanced collaboration across various sectors.

Interesting development: Saudi, Pakistan joint statement makes no reference to UNSC resolution on Kashmir, something that has been standard formulation for Islamabad. Instead, it urges bilateral resolution of issues, echoing the Shimla Pact, which is New Delhi's line. https://t.co/11Ozi1m7I0

— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) April 8, 2024

“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,” PTI reported citing the statement. New Delhi has maintained that Kashmir constitutes a bilateral matter solely between India and Pakistan, there is no question of any mediation or intervention by any third party.