Pakistan expects Sri Lanka to remain neutral in case of war with India

Against the backdrop of escalation of tension with India following the Pahalgam incident and warning that the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) will be suspended, Pakistan expects Sri Lanka to play a neutral, non-aligned role which is the trademark of its foreign policy, a top diplomatic source on the situation said yesterday on condition of anonymity.

 

It transpired during a background discussion on the current situation.

 

The Pakistani authorities have apparently taken note of the wordings of the statement issued by the President’s Media Division (PMD) condemning the terror attack after President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s telephone conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Pakistani authorities are concerned why the Sri Lankan President did not display neutrality in this case by condemning the incident in which Baloch separatists hijacked the Jaffar Express passenger train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar near the city of Sibi in Pakistan's Balochistan Province on March 11, 2025.

 

Asserting that Pakistan does not condone terrorism in any form, the source said Pakistan is ready for an international investigation into what happened in Pahalgam.

 

The source said that Pakistan would respond militarily in case of suspension of the Indus waters for its agriculture. According to the source, a full-blown war between India and Pakistan as nuclear–armed nations would entail disaster for the whole region.

 

The source cited Sri Lanka as a time-tested, brotherly friend of Pakistan. In Pakistan, there are mixed sentiments about the probability of war with some interpreting it as very high while others ruling it out.

 

The Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Ministry has already announced that it will remain neutral.