Sri Lanka calls for dialogue to diffuse India-Pak tension

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday called on Pakistani High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Shahid Ahmad Hashmat and suggested dialogue as the need of the hour to diffuse tensions between India and Pakistan.

Radio Pakistan quoted the Sri Lankan President as saying that the military escalation between Pakistan and India is affecting the entire region.

On Thursday, High Commissioner of Pakistan, Major General (Rtd) Shahid Ahmad Hashmat had a telephonic conversation with Sri Lanka's Speaker, Karu Jayasuriya, to brief the latter regarding the current situation between India and Pakistan, Colombo Page reported.

During the phone call, Hashmat noted that the repeated measures taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan to de-escalate tensions across the Line of Control would prompt the international community to call for dialogues and negotiations between New Delhi and Islamabad to ensure a peaceful resolution between the two neighbouring countries including the Kashmir issue.

Tensions between the two nations escalated after a CRPF convoy moving from Jammu to Srinagar was attacked by a suicide bomber in Pulwama on February 14.

Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) claimed responsibility for the attack in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives.

Less than two weeks after the attack, India carried out an air strike in across the border targetting terror launch pads in Pakistan's Balakot.