Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has conveyed his condolences to Pakistan during a phone call with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, acknowledging the challenging situation Pakistan is currently facing as tensions with India intensify. His statement comes shortly after a brutal terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, carried out by groups reportedly backed by Islamabad, which resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians, most of them tourists.

Ibrahim also voiced Malaysia's support for an impartial and thorough investigation into the incident. “I expressed my full understanding of the difficult circumstances Pakistan is facing and conveyed Malaysia’s hope that the situation will de-escalate swiftly. I strongly condemned any form of violence and affirmed Malaysia’s support for an independent and transparent investigation to identify those responsible,” he shared a post on X.

He referred to Jammu and Kashmir as "Indian-administered Kashmir," a phrase that previously faced backlash from the Malaysian Indian People's Party (MIPP), a nationalist political party representing ethnic Indians in Malaysia. "Malaysia remains open to playing a constructive role, should the need arise. We believe our close ties with both Pakistan and India place us in a position to support efforts towards regional peace and stability," he said. His statement appeared aimed at maintaining a neutral stance.

Malaysia, a country with a Muslim majority, has repeatedly made controversial remarks about Jammu & Kashmir, which have often drawn sharp responses from India. Relations between the two nations took a downturn in 2019 after Malaysia criticised India’s decision to revoke Article 370, which had granted special status to the region.

In a related development, Prime Minister Sharif firmly denied any link between Pakistan and the recent terror attack in Pahalgam. As reported by Radio Pakistan, Sharif voiced his concerns about rising tensions in South Asia and also criticised what he described as India’s “provocative behaviour” following the incident.

Prime Minister Modi and other Union ministers have pledged to take the most decisive action in response to the Pahalgam attack. The Prime Minister declared that India will hunt down the attackers "to the ends of the earth." Relations between India and Pakistan have sharply deteriorated following the attack, which killed 26 civilians. The Resistance Force (TRF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the attack.