Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that Pakistan did not engage with India at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan due to its actions in Kashmir. Bilawal said that India’s “illegal and unilateral” actions in Kashmir have created a “tense and volatile” environment in the region.
“Pakistan did not engage with India at the SCO summit because of its illegal and unilateral actions in Kashmir,” Bilawal said in an interview with the Associated Press. “We cannot engage with a country that is violating international law and the UN Security Council resolutions.”
Bilawal’s comments come after India and Pakistan were both invited to the SCO summit in Tashkent. The SCO is a regional security bloc that includes China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and India.
India’s actions in Kashmir have been condemned by the international community. The United Nations has called for India to reverse its decision to revoke Kashmir’s special status.
Bilawal’s comments suggest that Pakistan is not interested in engaging with India until it reverses its actions in Kashmir. This could further strain relations between the two countries.