General Bajwa also emphasised resolving the “long-standing issue of Jammu and Kashmir”. He was speaking at a graduation ceremony at Pakistan Air Force Academy, in Risalpur, where he said, “It is time to extend [a] hand of peace in all directions,” reported Dawn.

“Pakistan and India must also resolve the longstanding issue of Jammu and Kashmir in a dignified and peaceful manner as per the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and bring this human tragedy to its logical conclusion,” he said.

The struggling relationship of India and Pakistan has been undergoing tense times, more so after New Delhi clamped down on Kashmir in August 2019 and changed its constitutional status. Pakistan had strongly condemned the actions as their Prime Minister, Imran Khan, raised the issue in the United Nations General Assembly.

“Pakistan is a peace-loving country that has rendered great sacrifices for regional and global peace,” General Bajwa added. “We stand firmly committed to the ideal of mutual respect and peaceful co-existence.”