Kashmir dispute resolution key to lasting peace in South Asia: Pakistan envoy

Raking up the Kashmir issue, Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires in India Saas Ahmad Warraich on Friday said the path to lasting and durable peace in South Asia lies in resolving the dispute in accordance with UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

In his address at Pakistan’s 80^th Independence Day celebrations at the country’s High Commission here, Warraich also mentioned a key joint defence agreement signed recently between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.

Warraich hoisted Pakistan’s national flag at the ceremony held at the Chancery Lawns. Members of the High Commission and their families attended the event. Messages of Pakistan’s president, prime minister and deputy prime minister were read out on the occasion.

In his address, Warraich said the path to lasting and durable peace in South Asia lies in resolving the “Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people”, according to a statement issued by the Pakistan High Commission.

He claimed that Pakistan’s nuclear capability is a “stabilising factor in South Asia”.

“The Marka-e-Haq stands testimony to our unswerving resolve to protect and preserve the nation’s sovereignty and the dignity of our people,” he added, referring to Pakistan’s day of remembrance of the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict.

The charge d’affaires also said that Pakistan “firmly believes in the ideals of peaceful coexistence, dialogue and diplomacy”.

Warraich said the creation of Pakistan under the leadership of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was “not merely a triumph of the deep-seated and abiding conviction of the Muslims of the subcontinent to chart a future of their own, it was also a fulfilment of their ordained destiny to achieve a separate homeland”.

On the ‘Makkah Joint Defence Agreement’, he said, “The historic agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye represents another milestone in advancing the goal of regional stability and contributing to global peace.”

The defence agreement signed on August 7 is “intended to strengthen collective deterrence against any action of aggression, and stipulates that any armed attack against any of the three States shall be regarded as an attack against them all”, a joint statement earlier said.

Warraich also inaugurated a photo exhibition depicting the life, vision and historic struggle of Quaid-i-Azam, especially curated to mark the 150^th birth anniversary of the nation’s founder this year, the statement said.