Pakistan declares Saudi Arabia as a neutral place for crucial talks with India.

Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shahbaz Sharif, announced that Saudi Arabia might be the most suitable place to host talks between Pakistan and India, addressing sensitive issues such as Kashmir, water, trade, and counterterrorism, in an attempt to ease tensions between the two nuclear neighbors. Sharif clarified that China is not an appropriate platform for these negotiations, indicating that tensions have started to decrease after direct communication between the military operations directors of both countries, with the possibility of resuming dialogue soon. He confirmed that Pakistan's National Security Advisor would lead their delegation if the talks take place, emphasizing the need for the dialogue agenda to encompass all issues together rather than separately. Separately, Sharif mentioned that he made the decision to promote Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir to the rank of Field Marshal after consulting with his brother and leader of the Islamic League party, Nawaz Sharif, despite the controversy surrounding this promotion. These statements come amid escalating tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi following a deadly attack in April that resulted in the killing of 26 people in Kashmir, where India accused Pakistan of supporting militants, while the latter denied any involvement in the attack. The region witnessed intense military tension in early May, but a ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on May 10 remains in place to date.