Nuclear powers on brink of war
PAKISTAN desperately tried to ease tensions with India yesterday after downing two of its neighbour’s jets.
Prime minister Imran Khan offered talks, saying two days of military action must not lead to war between the nuclear powers.
His offer of dialogue came after Pakistan’s information ministry published a video showing a captured Indian pilot who was blindfolded and bloodied. The provocative footage was later deleted – but only after being shown on state-run news programmes.
Another video circulating on social media appeared to show the pilot being beaten by a mob before the arrival of Pakistani soldiers.
India admitted one of its MiG fighters had been shot down and a pilot was missretaliate ing. It said its planes had destroyed a Pakistan air force jet – a claim denied by officials in Islamabad.
The foreign ministry in Delhi demanded the immediate release of its pilot and condemned the release of videos showing the captured man, saying they were a ‘vulgar display’ which violated international humanitarian law and the Geneva convention.
Pakistan had vowed to after India launched airstrikes against a terror training camp inside its neighbour’s territory – the first such attacks across the Line of Control, which splits the disputed Kashmir region, since 1971.
Mr Khan said both sides must now step back from any further action that might trigger full-scale war. In a televised address he said: ‘From here, it is imperative that we act with wisdom. All wars are miscalculated and no-one knows where they lead to. I ask India: with the weapons you have and the weapons we have, can we really afford a miscalculation?’
A White House National Security Council official said the US was deeply concerned, adding: ‘The potential risks associated with further military action by either side are unacceptably high for both countries, their neighbours and the international community.’
In Britain, Theresa May called for ‘restraint on both sides to avoid further escalation’.
‘We must act with wisdom’