AJK president calls for int'l mediation

Sultan says Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates can help

ISLAMABAD:

Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry has called for international mediation and said that his administration was preparing a humanitarian response in case of any further escalation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.

India blamed Pakistan for the April 22 attack, which left 26 people dead, which Islamabad has denied.

"There is a lot of activity going on and anything could happen so we have to prepare for it. These few days are very important," the AJK president told Reuters in an interview, calling for rapid international diplomacy to de-escalate the situation.

"We expect some mediation at this time from some friendly countries and we hope that that mediation must take place, otherwise India would do anything this time," he said. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates could be in a position to mediate, he added.

Chaudhry also said he hoped major players like the United States and Britain might also get involved. He said activity along the Line of Control (LoC) was "hot" and that Pakistan had shot down two Indian drones in the last few days.

There had been regular firing by Pakistani and Indian soldiers day and night, though so far there had been no casualties, he said. Pakistan had also detected Indian Rafale fighter jets flying near the LoC, though they had not crossed, he added.

The Indian Air Force did not respond to a request for comment, though an Indian military official said Rafale jets were doing their usual training and drills along the LoC.

Chaudhry said he had not received intelligence on when and where India was expected to strike, but his administration was working with groups such as the Red Crescent Society to prepare extra medical and food supplies in case of any conflict.

"Red Crescent are working on it and we are working on displaced people in affected areas," he said.

He said that the international community also needed to pay more attention to Kashmir's long-term future.

"I think this is the right time for the international community as a whole and the UN to play some mediating role in Kashmir," he said. "It's been a very long time and the people of Kashmir have suffered a lot."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to Pakistan and India on Tuesday, stressing the need to avoid confrontation. The US and Britain have also called for calm.