Pakistan won’t strike first but will respond forcefully to Indian escalation — deputy PM

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia, China, the United Arab Emirates, and several other countries on Saturday welcomed the ceasefire understanding between Pakistan and India, following a week of military escalation that raised fears of a full-blown war between the two South Asian neighbors.

The ceasefire, brokered with US support after missile and drone exchanges between the nuclear-armed neighbors, has drawn a wave of diplomatic endorsements after many countries called for restraint and renewed dialogue.

Pakistan has credited the international community for playing a constructive role in defusing tensions, while also emphasizing its own measured response to what it described as Indian aggression.

“Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50, received a call from the Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel Aljubeir @AdelAljubeir, who welcomed the ceasefire understanding between

Pakistan and India,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a post on social media platform X.

“DPM appreciated Saudi Arabia’s positive and constructive role in promoting peace & security in South Asia,” it added.

Dar also spoke with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, briefing him on the regional situation following Indian attacks and Islamabad’s “carefully calibrated response.”

According to Pakistan’s foreign office, Wang acknowledged Pakistan’s restraint and described its actions as responsible under challenging circumstances.

China reaffirmed its support for Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and pledged continued coordination.

The UAE also expressed support for the ceasefire.

In a separate call, UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed welcomed the development, and Dar commended the Gulf state’s diplomatic engagement in fostering regional peace.

Germany’s foreign office described the ceasefire as a “first, important step out of the escalation spiral” and stressed the importance of dialogue.

“Dialogue is key,” it said. “The German government has been in contact with both sides in the past days.”

Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, said she had spoken with both Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers and called the truce a “vital step toward de-escalation.”

“All efforts must be made to ensure it is respected,” she wrote on X, reaffirming the EU’s commitment to peace, stability and counter-terrorism in the region.

The flare-up between Pakistan and India, one of the most serious in recent years, followed a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month and escalated into missile strikes, drone attacks and cross-border fire over the past week.

The ceasefire, announced Saturday, has temporarily halted hostilities, with both sides trading blame for the conflict.

ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Saturday it was premature to speculate if a US-brokered military ceasefire between Pakistan and India would lead to real peace, as fresh violence was reported on both sides of the de facto border between the two nuclear-armed nations, who vowed retaliation. 

Within hours of the truce announcement, violations were reported from the main cities of Indian-administered Kashmir, as well as in Azad Kashmir on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan.

The reports came after Islamabad and India both announced a sudden stop to a conflict that had seemed to be spiraling alarmingly. The US said they had also agreed to hold talks on a broad range of issues at a neutral site.

Pakistani Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told Arab News, “the response would be harsh” if India defied the ceasefire agreement. 

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the armed forces had been given instructions to “deal strongly” with any violations.

Pakistani information minister Attaullah Tarar has said there is “no truth” to Indian claims it had violated the ceasefire.

“This is just the beginning, it’s a bit early to speculate,” Asif said in an interview to Geo News when asked if the ceasefire could open a path to real peace. 

“As time passes maybe these types of paths will emerge but at this point it would be premature to pin those kinds of hopes to the problem.”

He added: “When talks begin, maybe some way will be found.”

Earlier in the day, the Indian foreign secretary said the two countries’ military operations’ chiefs had spoken to each other and agreed that all fighting would stop at 5 p.m. Indian time (1130 GMT) without using the word “ceasefire.” The MO chiefs would next speak on May 12, he added. 

But within hours, Reuters said blasts were heard in Srinagar and Jammu in Indian-administered Kashmir and projectiles and flashes were seen in the night sky over Jammu, similar to the events of the previous evening.

Pakistani witnesses and local media channels also reported firing from India into Pakistan in Azad Kashmir.

“BITTER HISTORY”

The ceasefire announcement came after the Pakistan military said early on Saturday India had attacked three bases in Pakistan with missiles, after which it had targeted multiple bases in India in response, including a missile storage site in India’s north.

India said there was limited damage to equipment and personnel at air force stations in the Udhampur, Pathankot, Adampur and Bhuj areas. The military said there were several high-speed missile attacks on several air bases in Indian Punjab, and that India had responded to the attacks.

Saturday’s military confrontation, the worst fighting between the longstanding enemies in decades, followed days of daily clashing since Wednesday through drones and missiles and gunfighting on the Line of control. At least 50 have been killed on both sides.

The latest round of tensions were triggered by a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people on April 22. New Delhi said Islamabad was involved, which denied the allegation and repeatedly said it was willing to participate in a transparent and credible inquiry.

Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations, having fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, a region split between them, since gaining independence from the former British colonial rule in 1947.

Both nations acquired nuclear weapons in 1998.

– With inputs from Reuters