The ball is now in India's court, Pakistan wants peace: Ishaq Dar

Amid the ongoing tension on the India-Pakistan border, Islamabad has now walked the path of a peaceful solution. Pakistan's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said, "The ball is now in India's court." He made this comment in an interview with Qatar-based media outlet Al Jazeera on Saturday (May 10). Dar gave this message during a conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He told Geo News, "War is not our priority. We want peace, but it should be without the dominance of any country."

Ishaq Dar also said that he had held talks with Marco Rubio, the Saudi Foreign Minister and several world leaders, and the talks were positive. He expressed hope that formal talks between India and Pakistan will begin soon.

The tension began on April 22, with the death of 26 Indian tourists in a horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for the attack and took strong countermeasures. These included suspending the Indus Waters Treaty. Pakistan responded by suspending the Simla Agreement and closing its airspace to India. Islamabad announced that it considered the suspension of the Indus Treaty as a declaration of war.

After this incident, firing began on the border for about 12 consecutive nights. Both countries blamed each other for the attack. On May 6, India launched missile attacks on Pakistan-controlled areas in a military operation called 'Operation Sindoor'. India claims that at least 100 terrorists were killed in this. On the other hand, Pakistan claims that India killed 38 civilians and injured more than 100 others by launching missile attacks at six locations. They also claim to have shot down five Indian warplanes.

India also alleged that 15 civilians were killed in Pakistani shelling inside Kashmir. As the situation gradually heated up, Pakistan launched 'Operation Banyan Marsus' as a countermeasure on Saturday. They said that several military targets including Pathankot and Udhampur in India were attacked. The BBC reported that several large explosions were heard in Srinagar in the early hours of the morning.

Amidst this tension, both India and Pakistan have claimed that they were attacked by another country on Friday night. Civilian flights have been suspended from 32 airports in northern and western India for security reasons.

Analysts fear that a major war could break out between the two nuclear-armed countries. However, in the meantime, Pakistan has given a message of peace, saying, "The ball is now in India's court." That is, the responsibility for negotiations is now in the hands of New Delhi.