International community reacts to recent Pakistan, India stand off
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BEIJING: Following the unprovoked attack by India on Pakistan, the International community has urged both countries to de-escalate the situation and show restraint from attacking each country.
Last night, India carried out strikes in Pakistan on multiple locations, resulting in 26 being martyred and 45 injured, according to the Director General Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).
China calls for Restraint:
China on Wednesday expressed regret and concern over Indian strikes on Pakistan, urging both sides to show restraint in response to a major escalation between its nuclear-armed neighbours.
India and Pakistan exchanged heavy artillery along their contested frontier on Wednesday, after New Delhi launched missile strikes on its arch-rival.
Pakistan said Indian strikes had killed at least eight people, and India said Pakistani artillery fire had killed three civilians along the de facto border in contested Kashmir.
China, which shares land borders with both countries and is a close ally of Pakistan, said it expressed “regret over India’s military action this morning” and said it was “concerned about the current developments”.
“India and Pakistan are neighbours that cannot be moved apart, and they are also China’s neighbours,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
“China opposes all forms of terrorism,” they said.
“We call on both India and Pakistan to prioritise peace and stability, remain calm and restrained and avoid taking actions that further complicate the situation,” the spokesperson added.
UK calls for ‘De-escalation’
The UK is ready to support both India and Pakistan to de-escalate tensions, Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said on Wednesday, following the worst violence between the nuclear-armed arch-foes in two decades.
“Our message would be that we are a friend, a partner to both countries. We stand ready to support both countries. Both have a huge interest in regional stability, in dialogue, in de-escalation and anything we can do to support that, we are here and willing to do,” he told BBC radio.
Trump calls Indian attack ‘shameless’
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday afternoon that the recent Indian strikes against targets in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir were a “shame.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he had just heard about the intensification of hostilities that had occurred in recent hours.
Trump hoped that the fighting between India and Pakistan would end “very quickly”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he’s “monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely.”
“I echo [US President Donald Trump’s] comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution” US Secretary said on X.
France Urges Restraint
France has called on India and Pakistan to show restraint as the worst violence in two decades flared between the two countries, AFP reports.
“We understand India’s desire to protect itself against the scourge of terrorism, but we obviously call on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint to avoid escalation and, of course, to protect civilians,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in an interview on TF1 television.
UN Chief Statement
In a statement, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for restraint from both countries, the Associated Press reported.
“The Secretary-General is very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and the international border. He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries.
“The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” the statement said.
UAE, Qatar Reacts
The United Arab Emirates and Qatar have urged both countries to avoid any military escalation.
Qatar has said it “follows with great concern the continuing escalation between India and Pakistan” and called for “resolving the crisis through diplomatic channels”.
The deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, called for “restraint” and urged the avoidance of military escalation.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that both countries should show restraint in the recent escalation between Pakistan and India.
In a statement published on the Foreign Ministry’s website, Russia, which has warm relations with both nations, said it condemned all forms of terrorism.