Pakistan, India trade missile strikes amid calls for de-escalation

Pakistan and India fired missiles astatine each different Saturday, prompting U.S. calls for the nuclear-armed neighbours to statesman talks to defuse their escalating astir most aggravated struggle since 1999.

Tensions betwixt the nuclear-armed rivals person soared since an onslaught astatine a fashionable tourer tract successful India-controlled Kashmir near 26 civilians dead, mostly Hindu Indian tourists, connected April 22. New Delhi has blamed Pakistan for backing the assault, an accusation Islamabad rejects.

Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's overseas minister, said his state would see de-escalation if India stopped further attacks, but warned that if India launched immoderate strikes, "our effect volition follow."

Dar told Pakistan's Geo News helium besides conveyed this connection to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who contacted him aft Rubio spoke to New Delhi earlier.

"We responded due to the fact that our patience had reached its limit. If they halt here, we volition besides see stopping," Dar added.

India said it targeted Pakistani airbases aft Islamabad fired respective high-speed missiles astatine subject and civilian infrastructure successful the country's Punjab authorities aboriginal Saturday.

Pakistan earlier said it intercepted astir missiles and retaliatory strikes connected India were underway.

Rubio spoke to his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar, and emphasized "both sides request to place methods to de-escalate and re-establish nonstop connection to debar miscalculation," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Saturday, and offered U.S. enactment to facilitate "productive discussion."

India says it's committed to 'non-escalation'

Indian Col. Sofiya Qureshi, astatine a quality league successful New Delhi, said Pakistan targeted wellness facilities and schools astatine its 3 airbases successful Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"Befitting reply has been fixed to Pakistani actions," she said.

Wing Cmdr. Vyomika Singh, who was besides astatine the quality conference, said India was committed to "non-escalation" provided that Pakistan reciprocated.

However, Pakistani crushed forces were observed mobilizing toward guardant areas, she said, "indicating an violative intent to further escalate the situation."

"Indian equipped forces stay successful a precocious authorities of operational readiness," she added.

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Singh said Indian equipped forces carried retired "precision strikes lone astatine identified subject targets successful effect to Pakistani actions," which included method infrastructure, bid and power centres, radar sites and limb retention areas to guarantee "minimum collateral damage."

"All hostile actions person been efficaciously countered and responded to appropriately," said Singh.

The Pakistani subject said it utilized medium-range Fateh missiles to people an Indian rocket retention installation and airbases successful the cities of Pathankot and Udhampur.

The Associated Press could not independently verify each the actions attributed to Pakistan oregon India.

Lt.-Gen. Ahmad Sharif, a Pakistani army spokesperson, said the country's air unit assets were harmless pursuing the Indian strikes.

Indian strikes people Pakistani airbase successful Rawalpindi

State-run Pakistan Television reported Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a gathering of the National Command Authority, which oversees the country's rocket programme and different strategical assets.

Indian missiles targeted Nur Khan airbase successful the garrison metropolis of Rawalpindi, adjacent the superior Islamabad, Murid airbase successful Chakwal metropolis and Rafiqui airbase successful the Jhang territory of eastbound Punjab state connected Saturday, according to Pakistan's subject spokesperson.

There was nary media entree to the airbase successful Rawalpindi, a densely populated city, and nary contiguous reports of residents proceeding oregon seeing the onslaught oregon its aftermath.

Explosions successful India-controlled Kashmir

Following the announcement of Pakistani retaliation, residents successful Indian-controlled Kashmir said they heard large explosions astatine aggregate places successful the region, including the 2 large cities of Srinagar and Jammu, and the garrison municipality of Udhampur.

"Explosions that we are proceeding contiguous are antithetic from the ones we heard the past 2 nights during drone attacks," said Shesh Paul Vaid, the region's erstwhile apical constabulary authoritative and Jammu resident. "It looks similar a warfare here."

Vaid said explosions were heard from areas with subject bases, adding it appeared service sites were being targeted.

Srinagar appeared calm aboriginal Saturday, but immoderate residents successful neighbourhoods adjacent to the city's airport, which is besides an airbase, said they were rattled by the explosions and booming dependable of combatant jets.

"I was already awake, but the explosions jolted my kids retired of their sleep. They started crying," said Srinagar nonmigratory Mohammed Yasin, adding helium heard astatine slightest 2 explosions.

Praveen Donthi, a elder expert with the International Crisis Group for India, said the 2 countries were astatine warfare adjacent if they had not yet labelled it arsenic one.

"It's go a remorseless contention for subject one-upmanship with nary evident strategical extremity goals from either side," said Donthi. "With expanding civilian casualties connected some sides, uncovering an exit oregon off-ramp is going to beryllium challenging."

India and Pakistan person traded strikes and dense cross-border occurrence for days, resulting successful civilian casualties connected some sides.