China on Tuesday asked both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue, following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14, in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed. The Jaish-e-Mohammed extremist group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
“Pakistan and India are both important countries in South Asia,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a press briefing in Beijing, PTI reported. “A stable bilateral relationship between the two is essential to the peace and stability in the region.”
Geng said South Asia has been a stable region, which both India and Pakistan should seek to uphold. “China hopes that Pakistan and India will exercise restraint, engage in dialogue and realise the soft landing of the relevant issues as soon as possible,” he added.
India raised customs duties on imports from Pakistan by 200% following the attack and withdrew the Most Favoured Nation status India had granted to Pakistan. The government also stopped a weekly Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service and trade across the Line of Control.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan claimed earlier on Tuesday that New Delhi has blamed Islamabad for the attack without any evidence. “I would like to make the Indian government an offer,” Imran Khan said. “If you have actionable evidence, share it with us. We will take action. Not because we are under pressure, but because it is our policy.”
Khan urged India to “introspect” about the situation in Kashmir instead. “Do you think this is a one-dimensional problem?” he asked. “One-dimensional oppression of people will never be successful.” He also warned that Pakistan would retaliate if India goes to war.
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