Pakistan’s envoy in India used an Independence Day event in New Delhi to raise Kashmir and highlight a new defence pact. The remarks underscored Islamabad’s attempt to frame regional peace and security around long-standing disputes and alliances.
Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires in India, Saad Ahmad Warraich, on Friday raised the Kashmir issue at Pakistan’s 80th Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi, saying the path to lasting and durable peace in South Asia lies in resolving the dispute in accordance with UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. He also referred to a key joint defence agreement signed recently between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.
In his address at the Pakistan High Commission, Warraich said Pakistan “firmly believes in the ideals of peaceful coexistence, dialogue and diplomacy”. He also claimed that Pakistan’s nuclear capability is a “stabilising factor in South Asia”.
Warraich hoisted Pakistan’s national flag at the ceremony held at the Chancery Lawns. Members of the High Commission and their families attended the event, and messages from Pakistan’s president, prime minister and deputy prime minister were read out, according to a statement issued by the Pakistan High Commission.
In his speech, Warraich said the path to lasting and durable peace in South Asia lies in resolving the “Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people”. Referring to Pakistan’s day of remembrance of the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, he said, “The Marka-e-Haq stands testimony to our unswerving resolve to protect and preserve the nation’s sovereignty and the dignity of our people.” He also said the creation of Pakistan under the leadership of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was “not merely a triumph of the deep-seated and abiding conviction of the Muslims of the subcontinent to chart a future of their own, it was also a fulfilment of their ordained destiny to achieve a separate homeland”.
