At the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Pakistan’s top military leader, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, once again raised the Kashmir issue on the global stage, emphasising it as the “core” of India-Pakistan tensions and warning of the risk of “destructive escalation” if the dispute is not addressed through dialogue or third-party mediation.

Speaking during a session on regional crisis management mechanisms, General Mirza argued that the unresolved Kashmir dispute lies at the heart of enduring hostility between the two nuclear-armed neighbours and urged the international community, including the United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, China, Turkiye, and the UAE, to consider mediation efforts in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions. He insisted that meeting the aspirations of the Kashmiri people is essential for sustainable peace in South Asia.

General Mirza’s remarks were delivered against the backdrop of heightened military tensions, following recent air strikes and retaliatory actions between India and Pakistan, which he claimed had “disturbed deterrence stability” and dramatically lowered the threshold for conventional warfare.

He warned that, with the absence of robust crisis management mechanisms, future conflicts could escalate rapidly, potentially outpacing diplomatic intervention and resulting in significant damage and destruction before global powers could act.

Mirza also criticised India’s recent actions, accusing New Delhi of an “extremist mindset” and of attempting to use shared water resources as a weapon of war, which he described as a violation of international law.

India’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, who spoke at a concurrent session, reiterated India’s stance that Kashmir is a bilateral issue and rejected calls for international mediation. Chauhan emphasised India’s “red line” against terror, referencing recent military operations and asserting that India would not tolerate cross-border terrorism or proxy wars.

He accused Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism in the region, a charge Islamabad denies, and underscored the need to end the cycle of violence that has cost many lives over the past two decades.

The exchange at the Shangri-La Dialogue highlights the persistent and deep-seated differences between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, as well as the broader challenges of crisis management in a region marked by nuclear capability and historical animosities.

While Pakistan continues to internationalise the Kashmir dispute and advocate for multilateral dialogue, India insists on addressing the issue bilaterally and demands an end to cross-border terrorism.

The absence of effective crisis management frameworks and the lowering of escalation thresholds have raised alarms about the potential for rapid, large-scale conflict in South Asia, with both sides issuing stark warnings about the consequences of continued tension.

Agencies