Pakistan confirmed on Wednesday that it had shot down two Indian jets in its own airspace, capturing one of the pilots as the conflict with its nuclear-armed neighbour continued to escalate.
The Pakistani Air Force downed “two Indian aircrafts inside Pakistani airspace” after they crossed the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, the army’s spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor tweeted.
www.rt.com
Kashmir escalation: Pakistan 'shoots down two Indian jets'
Pakistan says it has shot down two Indian Air Force jets in a major escalation of the Kashmir conflict.
An army spokesman said one of the planes had fallen inside Pakistan and a pilot had been arrested. There is no confirmation from India which claimed to have shot down a Pakistani aircraft.
Pakistan earlier said it had hit Indian targets, a day after India struck militants in Pakistan.
The raids follow a militant attack in Kashmir which killed 40 Indian troops.
Also on Wednesday, Pakistan's foreign ministry said Pakistani jets had launched air strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) dividing Pakistani- and Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Pakistan said it had "taken strikes at [a] non-military target, avoiding human loss and collateral damage".
Indian authorities said the Pakistani jets had been pushed back.
India has also reportedly announced restrictions on its airspace. The Vistara airline said flights in the region were being suspended.
The aerial attacks across the LoC are the first since a war between the two countries in 1971.
Troops have also been shelling across the LoC. Four Pakistani civilians were killed and 10 others were injured in cross-border shelling on Tuesday.
On the Indian side, five soldiers were also injured in the firing, officials told the BBC. Schools in at least two districts along the LoC - Rajouri and Poonch - have been closed.
People living along the de facto border have been asked to leave their homes.
Both India and Pakistan claim all of Muslim-majority Kashmir, but control only parts of it. The two nuclear powers have fought three wars and a limited conflict since independence from Britain in 1947 - and all but one were over Kashmir.
www.bbc.com
Pakistan Downs Indian Jets in Worst Escalation Since 1971 War
Pakistani fighter jets have shot down two Indian aircraft in a significant escalation of tensions just a day after India said its Air Force had bombed a terrorist training camp inside Pakistan.
One aircraft fell inside Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, and the other crashed on India’s side of the Line of Control, said military spokesman Asif Ghafoor. An Indian pilot ejected over Pakistani territory and was arrested, he said.
India’s ANI news agency is reporting that a Pakistan Air Force F-16 which violated Indian air space was shot down in Indian retaliatory fire three kilometers within Pakistan territory in Lam Valley.
"This is unprecedented territory, we haven’t had tit-for-tat air strikes between India and Pakistan since the 1971 war," said Anit Mukherjee, a former Indian Army major and assistant professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, by phone. "We don’t know what will come from this. But it seems like Pakistan has given a response. And there have been casualties -- captures, deaths."
"We have had this sort of thing happening on the ground for the last 20 years," Mukherjee added. "It’s basically a shifting of the conflict to the air."
India’s rupee reversed gains, while Pakistan’s benchmark stock index plunged as much as 3.8 percent in Karachi. Across the border, India’s S&P BSE Sensex dropped 0.2 percent in Mumbai after gaining as much as 1.1 percent earlier in the day.
Indian defense ministry spokesman Col. Aman Anand did not respond to calls or texts for comment and there has been no statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Diplomatic Outreach
Earlier today it appeared the bitter rivals were looking to lower the temperature with renewed diplomatic outreach.
Pakistan has sought help from the United Nations to de-escalate the situation, while India -- which is facing national elections in a few weeks -- reached out to countries including U.S., U.K., China, France and Russia and urged the government in Islamabad to take action against terror groups based in the country.
The diplomatic back-and-forth came after India’s Air Force said its jets bombed targets inside Pakistan, which scrambled its own jets in response, for the first time in nearly 50 years. The target was a camp run by Jaish-e-Mohammed which claimed responsibility for the Feb. 14 suicide car bombing in Kashmir which killed 40 members of India’s security forces.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the foreign ministers of both countries late on Tuesday. He stressed Washington’s "close security partnership" with New Delhi, while urging Pakistan to avoid any military response and take "meaningful action" against terrorist groups operating on its soil.
"They will not allow things to go out of control because both countries are facing tremendous pressure from global powers including China and the U.S.," said Rashid Ahmed Khan, head of politics and international relations department at University of Central Punjab, Lahore said by phone. "There will be a controlled and managed escalation."
Kashmir Clashes
Meanwhile, security forces clashed with militants in Indian-administered Kashmir early Wednesday, killing two insurgents, according to a security spokesman.
Prior to Tuesday’s attack, which India said killed more than 300 people in a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp inside Pakistan, New Delhi had detained more than 150 people mainly linked to a local separatist group and boosted its military presence in the region, according to news reports.
On Wednesday, Pakistan announced its Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had sought out United Nations assistance to help de-escalate tensions with India. "India’s deliberate aggressive action is a sheer violation of U.N. Charter, international laws and intra-state norms. Pakistan reserves the right to respond in its defense. UNSC must immediate stop India from its aggressive actions," the letter said.
A meeting of the country’s top civilian and military leadership, including Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, is expected to be held today to discuss situation.
Tuesday’s strikes represent the worst escalation since 2001, when Pakistan and India moved ballistic missiles and troops to their border following an attack on parliament in New Delhi that was also blamed on Jaish-e-Mohammad. India and Pakistan have fought three major wars since partition and independence in 1947.
Both India and the U.S. see Pakistan as providing safe haven for terrorist groups and point to the fact that the leadership of groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, which carried out the Mumbai attacks in 2008, still live freely in Pakistan.
The Pakistani Air Force downed “two Indian aircrafts inside Pakistani airspace” after they crossed the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, the army’s spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor tweeted.
Pakistan downs 2 Indian aircraft inside its airspace, pilot arrested – military
Pakistan shot down two Indian Air Force aircraft after they crossed into its airspace, the army said. The incident comes amid an ongoing border crisis between the two nuclear powers.
Kashmir escalation: Pakistan 'shoots down two Indian jets'
Pakistan says it has shot down two Indian Air Force jets in a major escalation of the Kashmir conflict.
An army spokesman said one of the planes had fallen inside Pakistan and a pilot had been arrested. There is no confirmation from India which claimed to have shot down a Pakistani aircraft.
Pakistan earlier said it had hit Indian targets, a day after India struck militants in Pakistan.
The raids follow a militant attack in Kashmir which killed 40 Indian troops.
Also on Wednesday, Pakistan's foreign ministry said Pakistani jets had launched air strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) dividing Pakistani- and Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Pakistan said it had "taken strikes at [a] non-military target, avoiding human loss and collateral damage".
Indian authorities said the Pakistani jets had been pushed back.
India has also reportedly announced restrictions on its airspace. The Vistara airline said flights in the region were being suspended.
The aerial attacks across the LoC are the first since a war between the two countries in 1971.
Troops have also been shelling across the LoC. Four Pakistani civilians were killed and 10 others were injured in cross-border shelling on Tuesday.
On the Indian side, five soldiers were also injured in the firing, officials told the BBC. Schools in at least two districts along the LoC - Rajouri and Poonch - have been closed.
People living along the de facto border have been asked to leave their homes.
Both India and Pakistan claim all of Muslim-majority Kashmir, but control only parts of it. The two nuclear powers have fought three wars and a limited conflict since independence from Britain in 1947 - and all but one were over Kashmir.
India Pakistan: Kashmir fighting sees Indian aircraft downed
India says it is investigating Pakistan's claim to have captured one of its pilots.
www.bbc.com
Pakistan Downs Indian Jets in Worst Escalation Since 1971 War
Pakistani fighter jets have shot down two Indian aircraft in a significant escalation of tensions just a day after India said its Air Force had bombed a terrorist training camp inside Pakistan.
One aircraft fell inside Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, and the other crashed on India’s side of the Line of Control, said military spokesman Asif Ghafoor. An Indian pilot ejected over Pakistani territory and was arrested, he said.
India’s ANI news agency is reporting that a Pakistan Air Force F-16 which violated Indian air space was shot down in Indian retaliatory fire three kilometers within Pakistan territory in Lam Valley.
"This is unprecedented territory, we haven’t had tit-for-tat air strikes between India and Pakistan since the 1971 war," said Anit Mukherjee, a former Indian Army major and assistant professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, by phone. "We don’t know what will come from this. But it seems like Pakistan has given a response. And there have been casualties -- captures, deaths."
"We have had this sort of thing happening on the ground for the last 20 years," Mukherjee added. "It’s basically a shifting of the conflict to the air."
India’s rupee reversed gains, while Pakistan’s benchmark stock index plunged as much as 3.8 percent in Karachi. Across the border, India’s S&P BSE Sensex dropped 0.2 percent in Mumbai after gaining as much as 1.1 percent earlier in the day.
Indian defense ministry spokesman Col. Aman Anand did not respond to calls or texts for comment and there has been no statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Diplomatic Outreach
Earlier today it appeared the bitter rivals were looking to lower the temperature with renewed diplomatic outreach.
Pakistan has sought help from the United Nations to de-escalate the situation, while India -- which is facing national elections in a few weeks -- reached out to countries including U.S., U.K., China, France and Russia and urged the government in Islamabad to take action against terror groups based in the country.
The diplomatic back-and-forth came after India’s Air Force said its jets bombed targets inside Pakistan, which scrambled its own jets in response, for the first time in nearly 50 years. The target was a camp run by Jaish-e-Mohammed which claimed responsibility for the Feb. 14 suicide car bombing in Kashmir which killed 40 members of India’s security forces.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the foreign ministers of both countries late on Tuesday. He stressed Washington’s "close security partnership" with New Delhi, while urging Pakistan to avoid any military response and take "meaningful action" against terrorist groups operating on its soil.
"They will not allow things to go out of control because both countries are facing tremendous pressure from global powers including China and the U.S.," said Rashid Ahmed Khan, head of politics and international relations department at University of Central Punjab, Lahore said by phone. "There will be a controlled and managed escalation."
Kashmir Clashes
Meanwhile, security forces clashed with militants in Indian-administered Kashmir early Wednesday, killing two insurgents, according to a security spokesman.
Prior to Tuesday’s attack, which India said killed more than 300 people in a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp inside Pakistan, New Delhi had detained more than 150 people mainly linked to a local separatist group and boosted its military presence in the region, according to news reports.
On Wednesday, Pakistan announced its Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had sought out United Nations assistance to help de-escalate tensions with India. "India’s deliberate aggressive action is a sheer violation of U.N. Charter, international laws and intra-state norms. Pakistan reserves the right to respond in its defense. UNSC must immediate stop India from its aggressive actions," the letter said.
A meeting of the country’s top civilian and military leadership, including Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, is expected to be held today to discuss situation.
Tuesday’s strikes represent the worst escalation since 2001, when Pakistan and India moved ballistic missiles and troops to their border following an attack on parliament in New Delhi that was also blamed on Jaish-e-Mohammad. India and Pakistan have fought three major wars since partition and independence in 1947.
Both India and the U.S. see Pakistan as providing safe haven for terrorist groups and point to the fact that the leadership of groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, which carried out the Mumbai attacks in 2008, still live freely in Pakistan.
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