Sharif Sr advises brother Shehbaz to ease tensions with India diplomatically

LAHORE: At a time when Pakistan's civil and military leadership is pushing to respond to India, efforts are being made by former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif to strengthen back-channel contacts to defuse tension with New Delhi, a media report said Friday.

Nawaz Sharif, chief of governing Pakistan Muslim League (N) attended a security huddle at the PM's House late Thursday evening and advised his younger brother and incumbent PM Shehbaz Sharif to ease tensions with India diplomatically.

"The elder Sharif wants Pakistan govt to utilise all available diplomatic resources to restore peace between the two nuclear-armed states," daily newspaper Express Tribune reported. "I am not in favour of taking an aggressive position (against India)," Nawaz Sharif was quoted as saying.

"Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan from London to dial down tensions between the two countries. He had been working behind the scenes... but Thursday's formal entry into the scene amid the current stand-off between the two countries is to strengthen the backdoor contact," Express Tribune stated.

Nawaz Sharif attended the high-level civil-military meeting at the PM House convened to assess the Indo-Pak tensions. Since he holds no govt portfolio, he attended the meeting in the capacity of the head of the governing party, the newspaper said.

Nawaz Sharif was PM during the 1999 Kargil conflict.