KUALA LUMPUR – Pakistan has lauded Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s willingness to mediate in its longstanding conflict with India.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Syed Ahsan Raza Shah, praised Anwar as a globally respected statesman whose potential role as a mediator carries considerable weight.
"We appreciate Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in the highest regard as a peacemaker and advocate for peace. He is among the finest statesmen of this era and we welcome his offer to mediate between India and Pakistan.
"He is highly respected in both countries and enjoys strong relationships with the leadership in both Pakistan and India," he told reporters in a press conference today.
The ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan drew Anwar’s attention following a deadly attack in Pahalgam, India, on April 22 that claimed 26 lives, most of them tourists. In response, Anwar said Malaysia was open to helping de-escalate the situation and condemned all forms of violence.
However, last week Indian MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, who visited Malaysia as part of a parliamentary delegation, stated that the conflict was a bilateral issue that did not require external mediation.
Meanwhile, Syed Ahsan refuted allegations that his office attempted to obstruct the Indian delegation’s recent visit to Malaysia. He labelled the claims as "baseless and irresponsible."
"In this day and age, in contemporary diplomacy, it is unthinkable that a country, an embassy, would ask its host country not to allow the delegation of another country," he said.
The controversy stemmed from Indian media reports claiming that the Pakistan High Commission had allegedly urged the Malaysian government to block the Indian delegation’s visit. Despite these claims, the delegation successfully conducted meetings in Malaysia.
"How can we have the audacity to ask a host country, which has its own policies that we respect, to disallow a delegation? This claim is, to say the least, laughable, ridiculous, and preposterous."
Syed Ahsan also criticised the Indian media's portrayal of the issue, pointing to what he described as a pattern of misinformation.
"During the conflict between May 7 and 10, Indian channels announced as breaking news that Pakistan had been occupied and that Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore were under Indian control. Such reports are not only false but preposterous and ridiculous," he remarked.
He further alleged that references to "Islamic solidarity” in the reports were intended to create discord between Pakistan and Malaysia.
The High Commissioner also called on the Indian High Commission in Malaysia, led by Ambassador BN Reddy, to clarify its stance on the allegations.