Spooked Pakistan seeks help from US to resume dialogue with India

Pakistan on Tuesday urged the United States to play its role to resume dialogue with India and resolve all outstanding issues, amid tensions in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack, followed by an air strike by Indian air force on Jaish-e-Mohammad training camp in Balakot.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo spoke over the phone on Tuesday afternoon and exchanged views on the current situation in the region, the Foreign Office said. 

Both sides agreed that de-escalation was important for peace and stability in South Asia, the office added.

Qureshi said Pakistan-US ties were also important for promoting regional peace and stability. He appreciated the US' role and efforts in de-escalating tensions in the region. He informed Pompeo about the measures taken by Pakistan, including the handing over of the Indian pilot.

"He also urged the US to play its role for resumption of dialogue between Pakistan and India to find solutions to all outstanding disputes," the FO said.

Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14. India launched a counter-terror operation in Balakot on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was handed over to India on March 1.

READ: Pakistan Could Be Blacklisted By FATF Due To 'lobbying By India', Says Imran Khan's Minister Mahmood Qureshi

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also admitted that Pakistan could be blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) due to "lobbying by India" after estimating that the country could suffer USD 10 billion loss annually if it remains in the watchdog's grey list. 

In June last year, the Paris-based FATF had placed Pakistan on the 'grey list' of countries whose domestic laws are considered weak to tackle the challenges of money laundering and terrorism financing. A group of experts from the FATF recently visited Pakistan to review whether Islamabad has made enough progress on global standards against financial crimes to warrant its exclusion from the watchdog's 'grey list'.

During its three-day visit to Islamabad in the last week of March, a delegation of the Asia-Pacific Group (APG) on money laundering, a regional affiliate of the FATF, expressed serious reservations over insufficient physical actions on the ground against banned groups to block the flow of funds and activities.

(With PTI inputs)