Nawaz Sharif Calls for Diplomatic Efforts to Ease India-Pakistan Tensions: Report

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has yet to issue a condemnation of the recent Pahalgam terror attack, local media stating him to be recommending diplomatic steps with the aim of lowering tension between Pakistan and India.

At the age of 75, three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif heads the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. His brother, Shehbaz Sharif, is the prime minister of the country, and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, is the chief minister of Punjab province. Both Nawaz and Maryam, despite their powerful positions, have not made any comments on the Pahalgam attack or issued any public statements on the incident so far.

The Express Tribune, citing PML-N sources, reported that Nawaz Sharif likes to employ diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions between the nuclear nations, further stating that he does not like to take an aggressive stance. The newspaper reported a PML-N source as saying, "Nawaz Sharif wants his government to employ all available diplomatic efforts to bring peace between the two countries."

During a recent Sunday meeting in Lahore, Shehbaz updated Nawaz on the actions of the National Security Committee (NSC) after India's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) following the Pahalgam terror attack. Shehbaz grumbled that, "India's unilateral suspension of the water treaty has heightened the possibility of a war in the region.".

When Nawaz had returned from London to Lahore, journalists asked him his opinion on the Pahalgam attack. He remained silent on that. This has drawn the ire of opposition leaders, particularly senior PTI leader and ex-foreign minister Moonis Elahi. Elahi held Nawaz Sharif responsible for remaining silent on the issue, posting on X, "There has been a creepy silence of Nawaz Sharif since India suspended the IWT and took other extreme measures against Pakistan. Is Nawaz-Modi interests being given priority over Pakistan's interests?

" On 22 April, a deadly strike at Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, murdered 26 people, the deadliest attack in the region since the Pulwama strike in 2019. Resistance Front (TRF), a group affiliated with the banned Pakistan-based LeT, took responsibility for the catastrophe."