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Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has urged current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to adopt a diplomatic approach and avoid aggressive actions in the ongoing face-off with India, according to a report by The Express Tribune.
Rising Tensions After Pahalgam Attack
The situation between India and Pakistan has deteriorated sharply following the Pahalgam terror attack, where 26 people were killed by terrorists allegedly backed by Pakistan. India is expected to launch a military response, while Pakistan has pledged to retaliate with equal force if attacked, heightening fears of a potential full-scale conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Amid these escalating tensions, Nawaz Sharif advised Shehbaz Sharif that the government should “utilise all available diplomatic resources to restore peace with India” and avoid taking an aggressive stance, the Express Tribune reported.
Nawaz Sharif: Past Stance on India
Nawaz Sharif, who is Shehbaz Sharif’s elder brother, has served as Pakistan’s Prime Minister three times — from 1990 to 1993, from 1997 to 1999, and from 2013 to 2017. He remains the leader of their family-run political party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
Sources within the PML-N told the Tribune that Shehbaz had briefed Nawaz at their family residence in Lahore, characterizing the Pahalgam attack as a “false-flag operation by India.” Shehbaz also reportedly informed Nawaz that the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty had significantly increased the risk of war in the region.
This is not the first time Nawaz Sharif has advocated for peace with India. In 2018, he had questioned Pakistan’s policy of allowing non-state actors to operate across the border.
“Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can’t we complete the trial?” Nawaz had told Dawn in an interview at the time.
His remarks sparked a sedition case against him.
Diplomatic Fallout and Heated Political Rhetoric
In response to the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan has proposed a “neutral” third-party investigation. However, in a dramatic escalation, Pakistan has termed India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty an “act of war” and has suspended all bilateral agreements with India, including the historic Simla Agreement of 1972.
The political rhetoric within Pakistan has also intensified. Federal minister Hanif Abbasi declared that 130 Pakistani nuclear missiles are aimed at India and ready for deployment. Separately, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, a former foreign minister and a coalition partner in Shehbaz Sharif’s government, issued a stark warning: “Either our [Pakistan’s] water would flow in this river or their [India’s] blood.”
Also Read: Turkey Denies Claims Of Arms Delivery To Pakistan, Erdoğan Calls For De-escalation
