Islamabad: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday said tensions between India and Pakistan “appear to be de-escalating”.
Qureshi also said in view of the development, the Pakistan government has taken a decision to send its envoy Sohail Mahmood back to India.
“Tensions between India and Pakistan appear to be de-escalating and this is a positive development,” Qureshi was quoted by Geo News as saying. “Pakistan has further increased diplomatic efforts and we have decided to send back the Pakistani high commissioner to New Delhi.”
The Pakistan Foreign Minister reiterated that a delegation will visit New Delhi for talks over the Kartarpur corridor on March 14.
In its bid to de-escalate tensions with India, Pakistan announced on Tuesday that it’s High Commissioner to India will return to New Delhi on Wednesday, according to a statement issued by the country’s foreign ministry.
Mahmood was called back to Islamabad for consultations in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack carried out by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Mahmood left New Delhi on February 18.
Meanwhile, an Indian delegation is due to visit Islamabad on March 28 to discuss the draft agreement on Kartarpur corridor.
Tensions between India and Pakistan heightened following the February 14 attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Pulwama in which 40 security personnel were killed and five injured.
India had carried out air strikes at a JeM training camp in Balakot in Pakistan, eliminating a “large number” of terrorists, according to India’s Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.
The very next day, Pakistani jets violated Indian air space and dropped bombs in Rajouri sector in Jammu and Kashmir. India said it foiled an attempt by the Pakistan Air Force to carry out strikes in the state by shooting down an F-16 fighter plane.
There has been intense global pressure against Pakistan to stop supporting terrorists and terror outfits after India mounted a diplomatic campaign in this regard. (ANI)
