Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has urged Pakistan and India to resume bilateral peace talks, drawing a parallel to the ongoing diplomatic engagement between the United States (US) and Iran.
Addressing journalists in Indian-occupied Kashmir, the Hurriyat leader emphasised that dialogue remains the only viable path to regional stability.
“If Iran and America can come to the table, then India and Pakistan can also come to the table. We remain hopeful. In that same context, I have also appealed to the Indian leadership to adopt the path of dialogue because problems are never resolved through wars; issues are only resolved through talks.”
Highlighting the economic stakes, Mirwaiz said, “I believe that in today’s era, our region, the subcontinent, holds immense potential to progress economically… I firmly believe that the resolution of our problems lies in Pak-India friendship.”
It merits a mention that Islamabad-New Delhi ties remain frozen since India in 2019 abrogated articles 370 and 35A of its constitution, stripping occupied Kashmir of its special status.
Relations deteriorated further following May 2025’s unprovoked Indian military aggression, which was met with a befitting response when Pakistan downed Indian fighter jets besides targeting several Indian military instalments in cross-border retaliatory strikes.
Despite the deep freeze, Pakistan continues to advocate for a free and fair plebiscite to resolve the Kashmir dispute in accordance with United Nations (UN) resolutions.
Supporting the Hurriyat leader’s diplomatic overture, prominent Indian defence analyst Pravin Sawhney has backed the push for immediate engagement under the current global transitions.
“Agree totally. India & Pakistan should talk,” Sawhney remarked. “What could not be resolved in the gone decades – can be done in the New World Order with mutual respect!” he said.
The calls for diplomacy come at a time when the strategic landscape of Middle East is shifting, ending the war between the US and Iran, heavily influenced by Pakistani and Qatari mediation.
US-Iran talks gained momentum following the landmark Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and subsequent discussions in Switzerland.
