Top Pakistani general flags 'Kashmir' in Singapore, warns of 'destructive escalation'

ISLAMABAD: Kashmir remains the “core” of India-Pakistan animosity and not addressing it through dialogue or third-party mediation carries the risk of “destructive escalation”, Islamabad’s designated military representative to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore said Sunday in another attempt to internationalise an issue that Delhi insists is bilateral.

Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, sought to spotlight Kashmir as a “dispute” that warranted international intervention during a session on “regional crisis management mechanisms”.

Pushing for “conflict resolution aligned with Security Council resolutions”, Gen Mirza reeled off a list of countries that he claimed could be third-party mediators, the US, UK, Saudi Arabia, China, Turkiye and UAE.

The military officer said meeting the “aspirations of the Kashmiri people” was essential for sustainable peace. He accused India of having an “extremist mindset” and warned that it could be “too late to avert damage and destruction” if this continued.

Gen Mirza said the threshold for conventional warfare had “significantly degraded”, suggesting the possibility of rapid escalation in a nuclear-armed region.

India has consistently dismissed Pakistan’s call for UN-mediated solutions, while asking Islamabad to stop sponsoring terrorism in the region.