3 days ago
Pakistan sends delegation to Moscow to push its diplomatic case in bid to weaken India-Russia ties
According to the ministry, the visit was aimed at 'projecting Pakistan's perspective on the recent Indian aggression'.
'Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Syed Tariq Fatemi, will lead the delegation to Moscow from 2 to 4 June 2025. During the visit, he is scheduled to hold meetings with senior Russian officials and also engage with media and think tanks,' Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on the social media platform X.
New Delhi: Pakistan announced that it was sending a delegation, led by the special assistant to Pakistan's prime minister, Syed Tariq Fatemi, to Moscow this week, as it launches a charm offensive following the conflict with India last month.
'The delegations will highlight Pakistan's responsible and restrained conduct—seeking peace with responsibility—in the face of India's reckless and belligerent actions in violation of international law. They will also highlight that dialogue and diplomacy should take precedence over conflict and confrontation.'
Separately, a multi-party delegation, led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, is set to travel to New York, Washington DC, London and Brussels, it further said.
The Pakistani delegation to the US, the UK and Belgium will consist of nine members from all parties, including former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, minister of climate change and environmental coordination Musadik Masood Malik, former minister for information and climate change Sherry Rehman and former foreign secretaries Jallil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua.
The visit to Moscow comes as India and Russia continue to maintain a close strategic partnership. Moscow has historically supported New Delhi in its conflicts with Islamabad over the years, with a friendship treaty signed between India and the USSR in 1971 on the eve of the Liberation of Bangladesh.
India used Russian S-400 air defence systems during the recent flare-up with Pakistan between 7 May and 10 May.
However, in recent years, especially after the war with Ukraine, Russia has strengthened its ties with China. Beijing is an important economic and military partner for Islamabad, and Pakistan used a number of Chinese military platforms against India last month.
The announcement of the delegations comes on the heels of Moscow denying reports that it had signed a multibillion-dollar deal with Islamabad, calling them 'fake reports'.
Also Read: Pakistan likely to hold open sessions at UNSC on J&K, Operation Sindoor during its presidency in July
Seeks to internationalise Kashmir issue
Pakistan's delegations will attempt to internationalise the Kashmir as well as the Indus Waters Treaty issues during the visits.
'The delegations will underscore the imperative for the international community to play its due role in promoting a lasting peace in South Asia. The need for immediate resumption of the normal functioning of the Indus Waters Treaty will also be a key theme of the delegations' outreach.'
India had announced that it will hold the IWT in abeyance as a part of its earliest punitive measures against Pakistan in the aftermath of the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April. The treaty, which was signed in 1960, had survived multiple wars and skirmishes. Over the recent years, Pakistan ignored India's request to renegotiate the treaty.
The announcement of Pakistan's delegations came after India sent seven all-party delegations along with former ambassadors to 33 countries, including members of the United Nations Security Council, to push New Delhi's diplomatic case regarding Operation Sindoor.
As a result, Colombia, promised to withdraw its statement sympathising with Pakistan over the loss of lives due to Operation Sindoor, and said that New Delhi's position will be 'strongly supported,' according to Shashi Tharoor, the MP leading the delegation to the South American nation.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has received support for its position from Turkey and Azerbaijan, with a trilateral leader's summit held last week in Lachin, Azerbaijan. While Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif mentioned J&K in his address, neither of the other leaders, Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ilham Aliyev, mentioned it in their statements.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
Also Read: Erdogan calls for firming up Pakistan-Turkey-Azerbaijan axis, Baku offers $2 bn for Islamabad
