Pakistan says India has put neighbours 'closer to major conflict'

Pakistan says India has put neighbours 'closer to major conflict'

A man inspects damage to his house in Uri, Indian-administered Kashmir, that officials said was caused by shelling from Pakistan

Pakistan on Friday accused India of bringing the nuclear-armed neighbours "closer to a major conflict", as the death toll from three days of missile, artillery and drone attacks passed 50.

The bloody escalation comes after an attack on tourists last month in the Indian-run part of disputed Kashmir that killed 26 people, and which New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing -- an allegation Pakistan denied.

India responded with air strikes Wednesday on what it called "terrorist camps" in Pakistan, killing more than 20 civilians and fuelling the worst clashes between the two in decades.

Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said that India's "reckless conduct has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict".

Military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told media: "We will not de-escalate -- with the damages they did on our side, they should take a hit."

"So far, we have been protecting ourselves but they will get an answer in our own timing," he added.

On a third day of tit-for-tat exchanges, the Indian army said it had "repulsed" waves of Pakistani attacks using drones and other munitions overnight, and gave a "befitting reply".

Late Friday, an Indian defence source told AFP that drones had been sighted in the Indian-administered Kashmir areas of Jammu and Samba, and in neighbouring Punjab state.

Earlier, Pakistan's military spokesman denied that Islamabad was carrying out such attacks.

The two countries have fought several wars over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which is divided between the two.

On Friday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his national security advisor, defence minister and the chiefs of the armed forces, his office said.

- Drone warfare -

Most of the more than 50 deaths were in Pakistan during Wednesday's air strikes by India and included children. 

On Friday, Pakistani security and government officials said five civilians -- including a two-year-old girl -- were killed by Indian shelling overnight in areas along the heavily militarised Line of Control (LoC), which separates Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

On the other side, a police official said one woman was killed and two men wounded by heavy shelling.

Pakistani military sources said that its forces had shot down 77 Indian drones in the last two days, with debris of many incursions seen by AFP in cities across the country.

India said 300 to 400 drones had attempted to cross into its territory, and also accused Pakistani forces on Thursday of targeting three military stations.

Pakistan's military said Wednesday that five Indian jets had been downed across the border, but New Delhi has not responded to the claims, while a military source said three jets had crashed on home territory.

Both sides have made repeated claims and counter-claims that are difficult to verify. 

"The youth of Kashmir will never forget this act of brutality by India," said 15-year-old Muhammad Bilal in Muzaffarabad, the main city in Pakistan-administered Kashmir where a mosque was hit Wednesday.

In Jammu, under Indian administration, 21-year-old student Piyush Singh said: "Our [attack] is justified because we are doing it for whatever happened to our civilians."

- Aviation, sport disruptions -

Militants have stepped up operations in Kashmir since 2019, when Indian PM Modi's Hindu nationalist government revoked its limited autonomy and took the state under direct rule from New Delhi.

Pakistan has rejected claims by New Delhi that it was behind last month's attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, when gunmen killed 26 people, mainly male Hindu tourists.

India blamed the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba -- a UN-designated terrorist organisation -- for the attack.

The conflict has caused major disruption to international aviation, with airlines having to cancel flights or use longer routes that do not overfly the India-Pakistan frontier. 

India had closed 24 airports, with local media reporting the suspension would remain in place until next week. 

The mega Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament was on Friday suspended for a week, while Pakistan suspended Super League play indefinitely, barely a day after relocating it to the United Arab Emirates.

- Calls for de-escalation -

World powers have called for both sides to exercise "restraint", with several offering to mediate the dispute.

On Friday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir in Islamabad, according to a statement.

That meeting came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Indian counterpart in Delhi on Thursday, days after visiting Pakistan.

The International Crisis Group, however, said "foreign powers appear to have been somewhat indifferent" to the prospect of war, despite warnings of possible escalation.

On Friday, the International Monetary Fund said it had approved a $1 billion payout to Pakistan, despite India's objections.

burs-ecl-aha/sst