Egypt calls for restraint as India-Pakistan tensions escalate over Kashmir attack

Egyptian Foreign Minister Bedr Abdulati has engaged in diplomatic efforts to ease rising tensions between India and Pakistan following a deadly attack in the Jammu Kashmir region that killed 26 people.

In separate phone conversations with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Abdulati discussed recent developments in Kashmir, according to two statements released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

During his call with Jaishankar, Abdulati offered condolences for the victims of the Jammu Kashmir attack and expressed solidarity with the Indian people and government.

The Egyptian minister emphasized that his country “categorically rejects all forms of terrorism and extremism,” while urging “calm, de-escalation, and restraint during this sensitive period” to preserve security and stability in the region.

In his separate conversation with Pakistan’s Dar, Abdulati also discussed the South Asian developments and the increasing tensions following the attack. The Egyptian minister called for “restraint to prevent further tension and conflict in the region.”

India’s suspension of Indus Waters Treaty

The diplomatic interventions come after gunmen opened fire on tourists in the Pahalgam area of Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, killing 26 people and wounding many others.

India has accused the attackers of “coming from Pakistan” and responded by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, ordering Pakistani counselors in New Delhi to leave the country within a week, and suspending visa services for Pakistani citizens while canceling all previously issued visas.

Pakistan has denied the accusations and retaliated by imposing limitations on Indian diplomatic personnel in Islamabad, declaring that any intervention in the rivers outside the Indus Waters Treaty would be considered a “cause for war,” suspending all trade with India, and closing its airspace.

The escalating diplomatic crisis highlights the fragile nature of relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, which have fought multiple wars over the disputed Kashmir region since gaining independence in 1947.