ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday expressed support for Pakistan amid tensions with India following the Pulwama attack in Kashmir.
On 14 February 2019, at least 44 Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and many others injured when suspected militants targeted a convoy with a car bomb at Awantipora in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, in what is the worst attack ever on security personnel in the state.
The car bomb attack was reportedly claimed by militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad and carried out by a 20-year-old Kashmiri youth.
India has accused Pakistan of facilitating the attack as tensions between the two countries escalated and India announced it would withdraw Pakistan’s ‘Most Favoured Nation’ status. However, Pakistan has denied all allegations of terror financing.
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan telephoned Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and discussed the evolving regional and international situation.
Briefing the UAE foreign minister on the situation after the Pulwama incident, Qureshi stressed that in spite of baseless Indian allegations and the aggressive rhetoric emanating from the neighboring country, Pakistan has offered cooperation in investigating the incident and asked New Delhi to share any actionable evidence in this regard.
Appreciating Pakistan’s position, the UAE foreign minister said he is looking forward to meeting Qureshi at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting.