Turkey warns of ‘all-out war’ risk in India-Pakistan clash
by AFP Staff Writers
Istanbul (AFP) May 7, 2025
Turkey on Wednesday warned of a risk of “all-out war” between India and Pakistan, after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed neighbours in two decades.
“The attack carried out last night by India runs the risk of an all-out war,” said a foreign ministry statement after India’s deadly missile strikes. “We condemn this provocative initiative as well as the attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
Ankara called on both sides to “show good sense” and take the necessary measures to reduce tension “including in the fight against terrorism”.
It also backed Pakistan’s request for an inquiry into the April 22 attack on tourists by gunmen in Indian Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed, mainly Hindu men.
India has blamed the attack on the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-designated terrorist organisation.
Turkey and Pakistan, both majority-Muslim countries, have long had close economic and military links.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Islamabad in February where the two countries signed a range of new agreements, notably concerning defence.
China says ‘concerned’ by India strikes on Pakistan, urges restraint
Beijing (AFP) May 7, 2025 -
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 fire along their contested frontier on Wednesday, after New Delhi launched missile strikes on its arch-rival.
Pakistan said Indian strikes had killed at least 26 people, and India said Pakistani artillery fire had killed at least eight 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.
At a briefing on Wednesday, Beijing also offered to play a mediating role in reducing tensions.
“We are willing to work together with the international community and continue to play a constructive role in easing the current tensions,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.
UK says ready to help ‘de-escalation’ in India, Pakistan clashes
London (AFP) May 7, 2025 -
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.
The Foreign Office advised British nationals against travel within eight kilometres (five miles) of the India-Pakistan border, within 16 kilometres of the Line of Control — a heavily fortified zone of high-altitude Himalayan outposts that represents the de facto Kashmir border — and all travel to the southwestern Balochistan province of Pakistan.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation closely. British nationals should stay up to date with our travel advice and follow the advice of local authorities,” it added.
Russia calls for India and Pakistan to show ‘restraint’
Moscow (AFP) May 7, 2025 -
Moscow on Wednesday called for both India and Pakistan to show “restraint” after they exchanged heavy artillery fire following deadly missile strikes by New Delhi, in the worst violence between the nuclear-armed neighbours in two decades.
Russia’s foreign ministry said it was “deeply concerned by the escalation of military confrontation”, called “on the parties to exercise restraint to prevent further deterioration” and said it hoped tensions could be “resolved through peaceful, diplomatic means.”
India-Pakistan clashes: what we know
Islamabad (AFP) May 7, 2025 -
India and Pakistan have exchanged missile and artillery strikes in a major escalation of hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbours after a deadly attack in disputed Kashmir.
New Delhi blames Islamabad for the militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir two weeks ago that left 26 civilians dead.
The two sides exchanged threats and diplomatic measures, culminating in Indian missile strikes early on Wednesday and a swift vow from Pakistan to “settle the score”.
Here is what we know about the crisis, and the background behind it.
– What is the latest? –
India launched what it called “precision strikes at terrorist camps” in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the early hours of Wednesday.
Pakistan says 26 civilians were killed in the strikes on at least six locations and firing along the border.
The targets include locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir as well as Bahawalpur and Muridke, cities in the country’s most populous province of Punjab, bordering India.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told AFP the retaliation had “already started”, after the military earlier said it would respond “at a time and place of its own choosing”.
India accused Pakistan of firing artillery across the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border in Kashmir, killing three civilians.
– What triggered the crisis? –
India was incensed by an April 22 militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, which left 26 people dead, mainly Hindu men, in the tourist hotspot of Pahalgam.
Nobody has claimed the attack but New Delhi said the gunmen were from Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-designated terror organisation with a history of carrying out attacks on Indian soil.
The group has long been rumoured to have murky links to the Pakistani military establishment — which Islamabad denies.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism” and gave his military “complete operational freedom” to respond.
The two sides expelled diplomats and last week Pakistan said it had “credible intelligence” India was preparing a military strike.
– Who controls Kashmir? –
The scenic Himalayan region has been a major bone of contention between India and Pakistan since the two countries were created when British colonial rule ended in 1947.
Kashmir’s ruler dithered on whether to join Hindu-majority India or Muslim-majority Pakistan, leading to the first war between the two neighbours.
Further full-blown wars between India and Pakistan over Kashmir followed in 1965 and 1999, punctuated by regular uprisings and border skirmishes in the years between and since.
Both sides control part of Kashmir but claim the territory in full, and keep troops stationed to watch over the LoC.
The two sides came close to another war in 2019 after 41 Indian paramilitaries were killed in a suicide attack blamed on a Pakistani militant group.
– How has the world reacted? –
Both India and Pakistan boast considerable arsenals of atomic weapons and Kashmir has long been identified as one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints for potential nuclear war.
As a result, there have been pleas for calm and restraint from around the world since the latest crisis erupted with the April 22 attack.
UN chief Antonio Guterres called for “maximum restraint”, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
“The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” Dujarric said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken with his counterparts from India and Pakistan, encouraging both sides to engage in discussions.
China, a neighbour to both countries and a close ally of Pakistan, expressed “regret over India’s military action this morning” and said it was “concerned about the current developments”, in a statement from a foreign ministry spokesperson.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected in New Delhi on Wednesday, two days after a visit to Islamabad, as Tehran seeks to mediate.
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