NEW DELHI (AFP) — As India conducted pre-emptive airstrikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan’s Balakot on Tuesday morning, the global community expressed concern and urged India to “exercise restraint”.
China on Tuesday urged India and Pakistan to “exercise restraint” after Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations said that Indian warplanes violated the Line of Control (LoC) last night and released their payload in Muzaffarabad sector in Pakistan administered Kashmir.
“We hope that both India and Pakistan can exercise restraint and adopt actions that will help stabilise the situation in the region and improve mutual relations,” China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lu Kang said.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to meet his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj and Russia’s Sergei Lavrov in the Chinese city of Wuzhen on Wednesday for a previously planned meeting.
Wang called Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday to discuss the recent suicide attack, saying China supports Pakistan and India in efforts to resolve the issue through dialogue, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Earlier in the day, ISPR head Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor in his tweet said the “Indian Air Force violated Line of Control”, following which “Pakistan Air Force immediately scrambled” and Indian aircraft went back.
No casualties or damage occurred, the military spokesperson had added.
EU urges ‘maximum restraint’
The European Union on Tuesday called on New Delhi and Islamabad to exercise “maximum restraint”.
“We remain in contact with both countries and what we believe is essential is that all exercise maximum restraint and avoid further escalation of tensions,” EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told reporters.
Australian government asks India, Pakistan to exercise restraint
In a statement shared by the Australian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Australian government urged India and Pakistan to “exercise restraint, avoid any action which would endanger peace and security in the region and engage in dialogue to ensure that these issues are resolved peacefully”.
Australia called on Pakistan to take action against the alleged presence of terrorist groups in the country.
