The Latest: India and Pakistan both say they will not escalate hostilities if the other reciprocates
The Latest: India and Pakistan both say they will not escalate hostilities if the other reciprocates
India and Pakistan both said they will not escalate hostilities if the other reciprocates after the two countries fired volleys of missiles across their borders. It was the most serious increase in hostilities so far in a conflict triggered by a gun massacre last month that India blames Pakistan for.
Pakistan’s foreign minister said on Saturday that his country would consider de-escalation if India stopped any further attacks. However, Ishaq Dar warned that if India launched any further strikes, “our response will follow.”
Dar told Pakistan’s Geo News that he also conveyed this message to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he contacted him after speaking to New Delhi.
“We responded because our patience had reached its limit. If they stop here, we will also consider stopping,” he said.
Indian Wing Commander Vyomika Singh told a news conference in New Delhi that her country was committed to “non-escalation, provided the Pakistan side reciprocates.” However, Pakistani ground forces were observed mobilizing towards forward areas, she said, “indicating an offensive intent to further escalation.”
The United States and other countries have urged Pakistan and India to de-escalate their conflict. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Indian officials and Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir on Saturday, his spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. Rubio continued to urge both parties to find ways to deescalate and offered U.S. assistance in starting constructive talks to avoid future conflicts.
There was no way to independently verify all the actions attributed to Pakistan or India.
Here is the latest:
___
Indian leader meets with top security officials
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is holding a meeting with top security officials at his residence following the escalation in tensions with Pakistan.
Defense minister Rajnath Singh, national security advisor Ajit Doval and the chiefs of the army, navy and air force are present.
Modi’s office released a video of the meeting in which he is seen talking to the officials.
___
China expresses concern, offers to work on a solution
China says it is “deeply concerned about the escalation” of tensions between India and Pakistan and is willing to “continue to play a constructive role” in finding a solution.
The Foreign Ministry on Saturday said: “We strongly urge both sides to act in the larger interest of peace and stability, exercise calm and restraint, return to the track of political settlement through peaceful means, and refrain from any action that could further escalate tension.”
China is a strong Pakistani ally, especially in the defense sector where they have jointly developed fighter aircraft, while Beijing has fought one major war and several skirmishes along their disputed border.
___
India shuts down more airports in north and west
India has shut more airports along its northern and western regions following the flare up in tensions with Pakistan. The Civil Aviation Ministry in a statement said early Saturday the operation of civil flights will remain suspended from 32 airports until May 15, compared to two dozen announced previously. The latest airports to be shut are mainly those located inthe northern states of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and the western state of Gujarat, bordering Pakistan
___
Srinagar quiet after overnight explosions
Most shops and businesses were open but traffic was thin on the roads in Srinagar, the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir, which was rattled by multiple loud explosions Saturday. Government forces, wearing body armor and carrying automatic rifles, erected additional checkpoints on the main road leading to the city’s airport, a part of which also serves as an Indian air force station.
Many residents living close to the airport fled from their neighborhoods in fear of attacks.
The Indian military said it was among three air bases that came under Pakistani attack early Saturday.
Local resident Munir Ahmed along with his family fled from their home as they didn’t feel safe, he said.
“We did not want to take any chances as my daughter is in her late pregnancy,” Ahmed said.
Authorities have already closed schools and other educational institutions across the region until Tuesday.
Most shops and businesses were shut in the region’s Jammu city, which witnessed Pakistan’s Saturday strike and drone attacks for the past two nights. Anxious residents said police drove through some neighborhoods and asked shopkeepers to close businesses and stay indoors as a precautionary measure
___
Pakistan official says at least 11 killed and 56 wounded in artillery exchanges near Line of Control
A Pakistan official says at least 11 people were killed and 56 others wounded in what he said was Indian shelling in several areas near the Line of Control in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
Mazhar Saeed, the information minister for Pakistan-administered Kashmir, said Saturday that the the casualties occurred overnight following an intense exchange of fire between Pakistani and Indian forces. He accused Indian troops of deliberately targeting civilians, saying artillery fire destroyed about 200 homes between Friday night and Saturday morning.
The wounded were being treated at various hospitals, he added.
There was no way to independently confirm the figures.
___
Pakistan’s prime minister says country has given its response
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday told the country’s political leaders in separate calls that “we have given India a befitting response and avenged the blood of our innocent citizens” following what he said were repeated Indian strikes on civilians.
India has denied hitting civilian targets.
In a statement, his office said Sharif said Pakistan had shown “extreme restraint” in the face of Indian provocations.
He said Pakistan responded after India’s overnight missile attacks at air bases and other places.
___
Pakistan foreign minister speaks to Saudi Arabian counterpart
Pakistan’s foreign ministry quoted Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, as saying he “appreciated Pakistan’s measured and restrained response” to India in a phone call to his counterpart.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Ishaq Dar apprised Farhan on the current situation in the region following last night’s Indian attacks and Pakistan’s subsequent response. “Both leaders agreed to maintain close contact,” it said.
___
Pakistan’s Foreign minister says his country will consider de-escalation if India reciprocates
Pakistan’s foreign minister said on Saturday that his country would consider de-escalation if India stopped any further attacks.
However, Ishaq Dar warned that if India launched any further strikes, “our response will follow.”
Dar told Pakistan’s Geo News that he also conveyed this message to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he contacted him after speaking to New Delhi.
“We responded because our patience had reached its limit. If they stop here, we will also consider stopping,” he said.
___
Indian military says it’s committed to non-escalation if Pakistan reciprocates
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, who was also present at the news conference, said India was committed to “non-escalation,” if Pakistan reciprocates. However, Pakistani ground forces were observed mobilizing towards forward areas, she said, “indicating offensive intent to further escalate the situation.”
“Indian armed forces remain in a high state of operational readiness,” she added.
Singh said Indian armed forces carried out “precision strikes only at identified military targets in response to Pakistani actions.”
“All hostile actions have been effectively countered and responded proportionately,” she said.
___
India says it targeted Pakistani bases after Islamabad fired high speed missiles at Punjab
India has said that it targeted Pakistani military bases after Islamabad fired several high speed missiles at multiple Indian air bases in the country’s Punjab state early Saturday.
Indian Col. Sofiya Qureshi, at a news conference in New Delhi, said Pakistan also targeted health facilities and schools at its three air bases in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
“Befitting reply has been given to Pakistani actions,” she said.
The Pakistani army’s actions were “provocation” and India’s response was “measured,” foreign secretary Vikram Misri said.
___
Indian Border Security Force reports cross-border firing in Jammu
India’s Border Security Force in a statement Saturday said that Pakistani troops resorted to “unprovoked” firing along the International Border in the Jammu region overnight. The BSF said it responded to the firing and destroyed what it called a “terror launch pad” at Looni in Pakistan’s Sialkot district, adding that Indian troops caused “widespread damage to the posts and assets” of Pakistan border guards.
It offered a video footage to support its claim. The incident couldn’t be independently verified.
___
US and Turkey reach out to Pakistan
The United States and Turkey contacted Pakistan’s foreign minister, the ministry said in a statement.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to discuss the escalating situation in South Asia and agreed to maintain close contact, the statement said.
It added that Dar also held a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan and briefed him on what he described as a deteriorating regional situation.
___
Indian air force denies destruction of S-400 air defense system in Punjab
A spokesman for the Indian air force, Wing Commander Jaideep Singh, denied the claims made by Pakistan that it had destroyed an S-400 air defense system in Adampur, Punjab, using hypersonic missiles.
“Its fake. A fact-check will be up soon by the Press Information Bureau,” he told AP.
Pakistan earlier said one of it air force JF-17 Thunder aircraft launched hypersonic missiles and had destroyed the site.
There was no way to independently verify the attack.
___
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with Pakistan’s army chief
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir earlier today. Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said he continued to urge both parties to find ways to deescalate and offered U.S. assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts.
___
Indian army says it destroyed multiple Pakistani armed drones
The Indian army said in a statement that it destroyed multiple Pakistani armed drones that were spotted flying over a military cantonment in northern Punjab state’s Amritsar city early Saturday.
“Pakistan’s blatant attempt to violate India’s sovereignty and endanger civilians is unacceptable. Indian Army will thwart enemy designs,” the statement said.
___
Red alert SMS sent to residents in northern Punjab’s Amritsar city
In northern Punjab’s Amritsar city, home to the famous Golden Temple, the local administration issued a red alert Saturday with sirens blaring in the area. In an SMS message to residents, the administration requested they stay indoors and stay away from windows. A red alert also issued in the town of Bathinda, in Punjab, which happens to be the location of a key air force station.
___
Pakistan says it targeted S-400 air defense system in India
Pakistan’s military said on Saturday that its retaliatory strikes against India are ongoing.
According to a statement by the military, the Pakistan Air Force’s JF-17 Thunder aircraft launched hypersonic missiles that struck a key Indian military facility in Adampur, in Punjab’s Jalandhar district where India has an air force base.
The military claimed that the Indian S-400 air defense system was destroyed in the strike on Adampur. India has not commented on any of the claims and there was no way to independently verify the information.
___
Indian prime minister held meeting with top security officials hours before Pakistan said India launched missiles
Hours before Pakistan’s claim of India launching missiles into its territories to target air bases, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with top security officials, including defense minister Rajnath Singh, national security adviser Ajit Doval and the chiefs of the army, navy and air force.
A video released by Modi’s office overnight showed one of the Indian military officials taking notes of the discussion. The video did not include sound.
____
At least one dead and two wounded from shelling in Indian-controlled Kashmir
A civil administrator was killed and two others wounded in Pakistani shelling in a frontier town near the highly militarized Line of Control in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said on Saturday.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the official was killed when a Pakistani shell hit his house in southern Rajouri town early Saturday.
Police said the official’s two staff members were critically injured in the incident.
Indian and Pakistani soldiers have heavily exchanged artillery and gunfire along the Line of Control that divides the disputed Kashmir region between two nuclear-armed rivals.
Indian officials said Pakistani troops barraged their posts overnight with artillery, mortars and gunfire at multiple locations in Indian-controlled Kashmir. They said Indian soldiers responded.
Saturday’s killing takes the death toll in Indian-controlled Kashmir to 19 since Wednesday when the two countries’ latest military standoff began. Pakistan has said Indian mortar and artillery fire has killed 17 civilians in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the same period.
___
Pakistan foreign minister says his country had no other option but to launch retaliatory strikes
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the country launched retaliatory strikes after exercising restraint for several days in the face of repeated Indian aggression.
“There was no other option because India showed no sincerity in response to the diplomatic efforts made by friendly countries,” Dar told Geo News.
He said Pakistan had made it clear repeatedly that it reserves the right to respond under the provisions of the U.N. Charter, adding: “We acted only after India continued firing drones and missiles.”
He blamed India for the escalation, saying India gave no positive response to the efforts that were made by the international community to defuse the situation. Dar said the world wanted peace in the region, but India ignored all pleas from the international community.
___
India will abstain from IMF meeting on Pakistan aid
New Delhi Finance Ministry says it will abstain from a key meeting at the IMF on Friday that was convened for a fresh tranche of bailout package to Islamabad. In a dissent note, New Delhi raised concerns over the efficacy of IMF programs for Pakistan given its “poor track record” and the possibility of “misuse of debt financing funds for state-sponsored cross border terrorism,” a statement from India’s finance ministry said.
___
Pakistan PM convenes National Command Authority
State-run Pakistan Television reported Saturday morning that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened a meeting of the National Command Authority, the body responsible for overseeing the country’s missile program and other strategic assets. The meeting will be attended by the heads of the armed forces, the intelligence chief, and senior Cabinet members. It is expected to review the latest developments following Pakistan’s retaliatory strikes against India.
___
Pakistan shuts down flights countrywide
Pakistan has shut down every airport for all flight operations, according to the country’s civil aviation authority.
In a statement, it said the decision to close Pakistan’s airspace for all flights was made because of the developing situation following the attacks made by India.
___
Explosions in India appear to have been near military bases, former Indian police official says
Explosions were heard from areas that have military bases, said Shesh Paul Vaid, a former top police official for Indian-controlled Kashmir and a resident of Jammu. He added that it appeared army sites were being targeted.
There was no immediate comment from India’s defense and foreign ministry and its armed forces.
By The Associated Press
